


Dreams of Hope and Home

by wxllow_chan



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alchemy is Definitely a Quirk, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, But Edward is the Main Dude Here, Canon-Typical Violence, Class 1-A Shenanigans (My Hero Academia), Crossover, Edward Elric Keeps Alchemy, Edward Elric Keeps Automail, Edward Elric Swears, Feels, Fullmetal Alchemist 2003/My Hero Academia, Gen, Light Angst, Mystery, No Beta we Die Like Alphonse Heiderich at an Airport, POV Edward Elric, POV Third Person, POVs will Flop Around, Post-Fullmetal Alchemist (2003), Post-U.A. Cultural Festival Arc (My Hero Academia), Spoilers, Technically An, Visions in dreams, Yes He Still Technically Uses Dead People for Alchemy..., for both series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:29:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26658208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wxllow_chan/pseuds/wxllow_chan
Summary: Edward Elric - in a desperate sacrifice to right his wrongs and bring his brother back - gave himself to the Gateway of Truth in an equivalent exchange. He expected to die or to be sent to whatever the afterlife may be; if it even exists. He was NOT expecting to be spit out onto the other side; into a weird-ass world with some weird-ass people.A place of heroes and villains.His goal is simple. Get the fuck out.But it seems like someone else has plans for the Fullmetal Alchemist...And it doesn't seem like the intentions are good ones.OR: Edward is sent through the gate to the world of BNHA, bringing all of his problems to another world. And he's not too happy about it.[ON HIATUS UNTIL THE END OF HUMANITY] sorry!! qwq
Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki & Edward Elric, Edward Elric & All Might, Edward Elric & Class 1-A, Edward Elric & Midoriya Izuku, Edward Elric/Rosé Thomas, Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell, Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako, Some VERY Slight/Implied
Comments: 53
Kudos: 202





	1. Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

_Everything was quiet._

_Not a peep could be heard in this empty ballroom, hidden so many miles underground. There seemed to be no traces of the atrocities that were committed in this room mere hours before. So much death and manipulation had taken place in this beautiful structure..._

//||\\\

_The silence was the thick, suffocating kind. The kind of silence nobody enjoyed. The only thing breaking the quiet was a short, golden-haired alchemist painting a large circular design on the smooth floors, his footsteps echoing as he moved around. He was trying to be as quiet as he could while lost in his own thoughts. He'd been working for nearly three hours; muttering almost desperately to himself the whole time he did._

_"I've got time... I've still got time..."_

_However, the boy didn't look like how he sounded. He looked resigned. Like he knew exactly what he was doing, despite the desperation that tinged his low, rasping voice. And maybe he did. Maybe he didn't. After all, the boy was a known genius._

_He stepped back to admire his handy-work like a schoolboy would admire an art project that he was about to hand to his teacher._

_It was time._

//||\\\

_He flipped his long golden hair over his shoulder, removing a tiny black jacket and a charcoal tank-top from beneath his belt, walking over to the simple small silver knife he had transmuted that was laying beside the design on the ground. The boy crouched down, taking the knife into a delicate hand. He was holding it as if it were the most precious thing in the world._

_For him, it was almost like it was._

_He turned the blade onto himself, slitting open his right palm; savoring the feeling of sharp, piercing pain and blood already dribbling down the wrist that had, only hours previously, been unfeeling steel._

_"I've still got time... I've still got time, Al."_

_He was still muttering as be began to scrawl designs with his dark blood on his own skin, marking his hands, his chest, and his forehead. The alchemist stopped, examining the designs on his hands before quieting down with a determined sigh. He walked slowly over to the center of the painted circle, his boots clipping against the floor softly. He squared his shoulders as he stood, his hands tensed and clenched at his sides._

_The boy began to mutter to himself, looking somewhere far into the distance. It was as if he was trying to convince himself of something._

_"If what Pop said is true, then right now, Al's body and soul are inside the gate... There can be no other price for a life. Even if I offer all of myself, it might not do any good... But still,"_

_He paused for a moment, sucking in a breath. He looked up, eyes gleaming with sadness and determination. He was ready._

_"...there's no reason for you to have to go away.."_

_With those final words; No. That final vow, he clapped his hands together, resting them on his chest. A soft blue glow emanated from the ground around him, then..._

//||\\\

_Pure whiteness. An ornately decorated gate stood ominously before the boy, who looked up at it with resignation. He wasn't scared of it anymore. The boy spread out his arms, just silently staring at the heavy doors._

_After what seemed like an eternity, the doors opened with a resounding 'creeeeaakkk.' He inhaled, letting the little shadowy hands grab him. Take him away. Take him to the unknown. Maybe he'd go back to that London place. Maybe he'd die. He didn't know, but he was okay with that._

_As he was pulled into the door, he turned back for a moment, taking in the scene behind him. Tiny little black hands had slid Alphonse's human body onto the ground where Edward had been standing. He broke into a small smile, letting his eyes water. He had succeeded._

_"Al..."_

_He muttered._

_**And with that, Edward Elric said one last silent goodbye to the world and the people he loved.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own either FMA or BNHA, and all rights to the characters and universes go to their creators!  
> [EDITED/MOVED TO AO3 AS OF 9/26/2020]


	2. Sun and Sidewalks

_At first, there was nothing._

_No feelings._

_No pain._

_No emotion._

_No memories._

_Just hovering in a dark void for what seemed to be eons and eons. Not knowing which direction was which, or if it was that there was no light or he just couldn't see. Was this what death felt like? Nothingness?? The little presence of mind he had had to admit it was almost... pleasant in a way._

_No homunculi, no philosopher's stone, no grief, no worries, no... anything. It was almost comforting. Like a mother's warm, tight embrace after you've had a bad day._

//||\\\

A sudden jolt kicked behind his sternum, and Edward's eyes flew open. He let out a pained groan and lifted his head, blinking to clear his blurry vision and to block the onslaught of sudden midday light that flooded his irises. Grit and pebbles were stuck into his cheek, his limbs splayed at an awkward angle, and his braid was coming un-tucked.

It seemed as if he'd tumbled, hit some sort of fence, and had been lying there for an hour, at least. The street he was on wasn't ever busy, so nobody had seen the twisted boy laying on the ground.

_'I have a shirt, at least...'_

That was the first thought his mind came up with before he got to his hands and knees, gripping his stomach with his left arm. It was aching and roiling.

Suddenly, he let out a raspy, gasping choke, arching his spine and retching a puddle of some black goo-like substance onto the warm concrete. He choked once more and slumped to his side against what he had presumed was a fence - looking horrified - with sweat running down the back of his neck. His automail arm, hidden by his sleeve, was pinned painfully beneath his rib-cage. The sidewalk was so hot, Edward felt like he was a cookie baking in one of Winry's ovens.

 _'What the hell is happening?!'_ Was the only thing the boy could think as he groaned again and retched more goo from his side onto the ground, the ends of his gold bangs already clumped with the stuff.

His vision blurred a little more, but he looked around without moving his head. He was laying on what he assumed was a sidewalk next to what looked like roads. There were so many tall buildings and bright colors and whites and lights and trees... He'd never seen such a place before. He slammed his lids shut again, trying to feign off dizziness.

It didn't work.

He fell back into blackness, his head slumping onto the ground.

//||\\\

_It had been just after a week after Hero Course 1-A's performance at the cultural festival for all of U.A High, and the whole class was still getting compliments on it. The group of heroes-in-training were sitting at a table in the cafeteria together, eating and talking with fervor. Everyone had bolstered moods and was cheerier then usual, laughing and yelling, and teasing each other. (With the exception of Bakugou, who was currently just sitting quietly at the end of the table, his arms crossed and a sulky frown plastered on his face. It was an improvement from his yelling, at least.)_

_For this past week, it had been almost as if villains didn't exist and everything was perfect. The keyword there is almost. The classes were still rigorous, if not more so. It was as if Aizawa had noticed the lighter mood and wanted to bring them back from the clouds._

_It hadn't really been working. It just caused a lot more complaining from the students; much to his chagrin._

//||\\\

"Hey, Izuku?? Could we go on a walk?"

A small, young-sounding voice spoke up from underneath the cafeteria table. It was directed at a slight, freckled, green-haired boy, who smiled brightly, holding chopsticks. The boy looked down under the table, meeting the little girl's red eyes cheerily. She was smiling back, looking hopeful, but yet not confident enough to join the others at the table.

After the cultural festival, he had been told this little girl smiled for the first time during his class performance. It was probably the happiest he had ever felt. He nearly flooded the damn hallway with his tears. It was barely a week ago since she did, and she hadn't ever really stopped - which made his heart so full of joy he thought it would burst at any moment. The boy, Izuku, pulled the little girl from under the table, sitting her next to him on the bench he was sitting at. It was... almost a fatherly sort-of gesture.

"Sure, Eri! It sounds fun. Should we get Mirio to come?" He asked the girl, setting the chopsticks back in the bowl. Eri practically glowed with the same intensity as the golden light her quirk emitted. Eri loved Mirio as much, if not more then Izuku, and Mirio and him got along really well too, after they had both vowed to help save her from Overhaul. The boy knew that the little girl still had the shred of Mirio's red cape that was torn from his costume during the fight. The thought brought a small smile to his face every time.

She nodded aggressively, her grey hair flapping around her round face. Izuku nodded and excused himself and Eri from the table.

"Remember Deku, Mr. Aizawa told us he would expel the next person late to class!"

A concerned warning came from a cheery-looking girl with bright pink cheeks and short brown hair. One of his closest friends. Izuku shrugged with a smile. Nobody actually believed he would do it, but it was still scary.

"Okay. We'll be back! Don't worry about us, Uraraka!" He reassured with a smile and a nonchalant wave, grabbing his dishes and dropping them off before leading Eri out to find their friend. 

"It's almost like the nerdy bastard has a kid..." Bakugou grumbled in his near-perpetual annoyance from the end of the table. This statement led to amused chuckles and resumed banter.

//||\\\

Finding Mirio hadn't taken the two long at at all. In fact, they had bumped into him right as they left, and invited the older student to walk with them. Now they were walking down the road off-campus to get to the closest convenience store to buy Eri a snack - who was riding on Mirio's shoulders with excited squeals. They were talking about the performance, all of their eyes equally bright.

Then Eri blinked and her smile dropped without warning. She raised a small hand to point at a black and gold crumpled heap laying a little ways ahead of them over a rise; small little spots of black glinting from the concrete in the sun.

"What's that?" She asked the boys, glancing down at Izuku from her spot on Mirio's shoulders. Mirio, the oldest and tallest of the three, looked to where she was pointing. He and Izuku exchanged worried glances with each other before picking up the pace, jogging over to what Eri had seen. Izuku's mind raced. It looked like... a person?

**_And it looked like this person needed help..._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! So I hope this first chapter was alright!! If it wasn't, let me know down in the comments! 
> 
> Here's some context for the black goo. The goo is kind of like the substance that coated Eckhart after she emerged from the gate in CoS. I took a little creative liberty with it, to up the stakes.  
> Thank you!!  
> I do not own FMA or BNHA! All rights to characters and universes belong to their creators!!  
> [EDITED/MOVED TO AO3 AS OF 9/26/2020]


	3. Strange Black Goo, Electric Boogaloo

After a short jog, the young heroes-in-training reached the figure laying on the ground. Upon closer inspection, though he didn't get TOO close, Izuku confirmed to himself it seemed to be a young boy. There was a thick, black goop dripping from his lips, and his skin had an unhealthy pallor to it; his eyes baggy. Mirio spoke up first.

"I think we should check if he's breathing." He said, setting down Eri and crouching beside the boy. Izuku watched - Eri walking over to him and halfway hiding behind his legs - as Mirio pressed two forefingers against the kid's exposed neck and bent his ear towards his mouth, listening for breaths. The boy looked like he should be in school, yet he wasn't wearing any distinguishable uniform...

Actually, his clothes and his hair were... something Izuku hadn't seen before. And that was hard to do in a society like the one they lived in. He looked plain, old-fashioned, and yet... tough?

Mirio turned with a bright grin and a thumbs-up. "We've got a live one!!" Izuku tilted his head, walking over and crouching over the unconscious form besides his friend. He got a good close look at him, which made him worry even more for the boy probably baking in this sun.

"That doesn't seem good. Maybe he got in a fight and they left him to choke on whatever this is?" Izuku pondered out loud, pointing to the liquid running down his chin. He tried to think of a quirk that had to do with filling organs with goo, but couldn't turn one up. He widened his green eyes with a sudden, terrible idea..

"W... What if it was a villain?!" He exclaimed, looking around wildly for anything suspicious. "What if HE'S the villain?!"

Mirio shook his head good-naturally, turning the boy onto his stomach.

"It'll be fine! _Let's wake him up._ " He said with a grin, wrapping an arm under the boy's midsection, pressed onto his stomach to keep him mostly off the ground. Izuku shook his hands out in front of him.

"No... nononononononononono! If he's a villain, then he might be hostile if he wakes up!"  
  


Behind them, Eri whimpered.

Neither seemed to hear her.

"And not to mention you don't have a qu--" Izuku paused, immediately looking and feeling guilty before the word even left his mouth. He rubbed the back of his head, staring at Mirio, who had lost his quirk during the battle with Overhaul. Mirio was still smiling - looking a little amused - but there was something slightly strained behind it as he responded.

Eri gave another whimper.

"Does this kid LOOK like he can fight?" He motioned his hand across his back for further emphasis, which relaxed Izuku a little.

 _'Mirio's right... This kid looks terrible. I wonder what happened to him to make him get this way? We should question him when he wakes up. I really don't want a surprise villain like Gentle Criminal around here again... It might also be cool if I could learn about a new quirk from all this!'_ The green-haired student thought to himself.

Eri suddenly dove behind Izuku with a frightened yelp, gripping the back of his school blazer in her fists.

"Eri--? Wha--" Izuku started to ask, glancing back at Eri before a loud gasp snapped his head back to the boy in Mirio's arms. Mirio blinked but didn't let go. He hadn't noticed the writhing and twisting the boy had been doing in his arms since the start of their conversation.

"Okay, scratch that. He woke himself up." Mirio said, all three of them staring at the kid as if he were a ticking time bomb. Without even looking up, he leaned over Mirio's elbow and puked again.

//||\\\

_"Let's wake him up._ "

That was the first sentence Edward could register as he slowly, blearily came to again. The limp alchemist slowly peeled open his eyes, his temple pounding and his eyes narrowing against the harsh, blazing sunlight. He'd been through much worse, but somehow this was messing him up so badly...

Well, at least he wasn't dizzy anymore.

He stared at the sidewalk below him.

That's when he first noticed - right under his head where he was looking at the ground - a shoe. This then made him aware of a pressure settled on his already painful stomach. 

_'The hell are these people doing to me?!'_ He thought in rising anger and panic, gritting his teeth and trying to struggle and squirm to get out of the grip. Doing so, however, seemed to just make it tighten instinctually around him. 

_'Shit! This hurts like hell! Stupid bastards!'_

Edward's mind was racing, but he didn't look up, fearful of making himself dizzy again. The person holding him didn't seem to even notice he was moving. The grip on his stomach seemed to make it churn more, which made him worry. Maybe once he dispelled the substance from his body, he'd be fine? He didn't know what happened to those who passed through the gate permanently. The thought caused a little prickle of fear to poke at his mind, but he pushed it down, just trying to focus on getting out of this damned situation he found himself in.

Then they seemed to notice him again. Right as the world tilted and he had to drag himself forwards just enough so as not to puke all over the man's shoes. He choked and spluttered - the goo dripping down his chin - but he felt better now that some was gone, so that was a start. He weakly swiped the trail from his pale, clammy face with his left forearm, the sleeve and the glove stained with the stuff he had been laying in. He could almost FEEL the concerned glances the others were training on him, though he hadn't even seen their faces yet.

 _'Ugh... maybe I **should've** ruined his shoes. Then he'd put me down. This is humiliating. Almost as bad as the colonel- bastard calling me "pipsqueak."'_ The boy thought bitterly. He cleared his throat, still looking down and praying he didn't sound as weak as he was sure he looked.

"Are you just going to hold me like a damn dog or are you going to put me down?" He demanded, forcing his low, husky voice to sound confident; though it was really hoarse from vomiting so much in such a short period of time. Especially when it was like tar coming up your throat. At least the statement seemed to startle the people, seeing as they awkwardly shuffled their knees, and someone squeaked and jumped.

_**He was not one to complain, but man... This whole thing really sucked right now...** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own FMA or BNHA!! All rights for the characters and universes go to their creators!!
> 
> [EDITED/MOVED TO AO3 AS OF 9/26/2020]


	4. The Lion, the Chimera, and the Broccoli

There was a momentary pause after he had spoken before someone said anything.

"Alright, whatever you say, then!" The man holding him exclaimed. Edward felt himself drop from his arms, smacking face-first onto the hot cement with a small _'oof!'_ He snarled to himself, pushing up to a shaky sitting position, goo splattered all over his clothes and face, and blood dripping from a now-busted lip.

 _'Yeah, thanks a lot...'_ He thought, glaring determinedly at the ground as he pulled up his left hand to press to his bloody, stinging lip. His glove couldn't get any more stained anyways. And, if he had to admit it, he was still honestly a little frightened of looking up. This place, from the small glimpse he had gotten earlier, was huge, overwhelmingly bright, and way different then Amestris.

_Amestris..._

The mere thought of that word made his heart ache - but again, he pushed the thought away. Wherever he was, he was here now. And getting home was his now his top priority.

Somehow...

Somehow he would get back home.

Some day...

Some day he was going to kick that _damn_ gate in and show it who was the boss. 

The feeling of a hand resting on his shoulder jolted Edward out of his thoughts. He hadn't realized the two had been talking to him, or that he had clenched his hands into fists. He sucked in a breath and looked up; his baggy, golden eyes narrowed as they adjusted to the sunlight he had been avoiding. What he saw shocked him to his core.

Standing in front of him was a little girl with big red eyes, grey hair, and a slightly-curved horn on one side of her forehead. She looked frightened. Probably of him, he realized. But...

**A horn.**

_A chimera?!_

Images of another small girl turned into a chimera flashed through his mind; as it always did whenever he saw one of those monstrosities. The girl seemed to notice something in his facial expression, and widened her eyes, running back and ducking behind a pair of legs.

No... this was obviously a different world, assuming he had really been pulled into the gate. He looked around at the other two, who both looked much younger then he had assumed, maybe even his age. The first kid actually looked normal. His curly hair was only a shade lighter then Brigadier General Hughes' hair had been. The other dude looked relatively normal too, but his eyes were a little freaky. They were both wearing some sort of dorky uniform-looking clothes. NOT badass, in Edward's opinion.

"Are you alright?" The green-haired boy asked him, looking concerned, and... maybe a little fearful? He had a hand on the little girl's head, who was clutching his pants. A hot midday breeze blew over them, making Edward somehow sweat even more than he already was.

He rubbed the sweat from his forehead, fighting off another bout of dizziness. "Yeah, I'm _obviously_ in tip-top shape." He was quick to snap back, glaring at them with sharp eyes. They barely reacted to his abrasiveness, which was a little disconcerting. 

_'Winry would've already had her wrench to my head for that...'_ He reflected as the other blonde knelt down, feeling his forehead.

"What happened to you?" The green-haired kid - whom he mentally dubbed as "Broccoli" - asked, motioning towards the goo drying on the heated, gritty sidewalk. "Were you attacked?"

 _"Tch._ If I was, I could handle myself." Edward retorted indignantly. _'What'd they think I am?! A little kid?'_ He ranted internally to himself, leaning back, propped up by his gloved hands.

At least his automail seemed to be functioning just fine. Damn, Winry really knew how to make her limbs. He turned his attention back to Broccoli.

"Then how did you get like this? So close to U.A. too. You're lucky you weren't caught by a pro hero." Broccoli fretted as Edward swatted the other kid's hand away from his goop-splattered face. (Whom he had dubbed as "Lion" due to the way his hair spiked in the back.)

He huffed, blowing his hair antennae out of his face, which had drooped onto his forehead. Well. He could tell them the truth. That he was from a different world, was taken into a freaky-ass alchemy gate, literally just tumbled seemingly out of nowhere, hit a fence in front of what looked like hedges, and had little baby shadow goo things go down this throat in the process of even getting here. But they probably wouldn't believe him.

Now Edward was in a predicament. He had no idea how this world operated, or how the people thought. Hell... what if alchemy wasn't even a thing here?!

The alchemist sighed, peering up at the boy, deciding to just... not answer the question. That seemed to be the safest thing to do. 

"Where the hell am I?" He asked instead, looking around. He knew he was sitting on a sidewalk besides what looked like a painted road. But there were trees at one end of the street, and the other led to really tall buildings with lots of what looked like windows, and shorter buildings that he couldn't really pinpoint. They were in front of a small building with an awning in the front, and strange characters on the front. There were lines painted in rows in front of it, and the fence/hedges opened up like a sort-of entrance to the place. 

All of this was weird. There was so much... color. And paint. Lots of paint, it seemed. Edward had to stop looking around, feeling sick to his stomach again.

Broccoli looked taken aback, and Lion was now bent over one of the goo puddles, poking at it and seemingly trying to distinguish what it was. Which Edward thought was disgusting, as it had come from his stomach. Not to mention it was probably dried at this point, as it was so hot out.

There was still nobody on the streets around them. Just the rustling sound of the warm wind blowing through the distant trees and their talking was heard.

"We're in Tokyo, near U.A. High Hero Academy. This is the strip just off-campus." Broccoli explained, looking incredulous. "Don't you know where you are?"

U.A. High, Tokyo, Hero? Academy?... None of what the boy had said made any sense to the golden-haired boy. Though, he tried not to display his confusion. 

_'High... Like... a school?'_ He pondered, not having been to much school himself, as he learned everything from experience in the military. That would also explain the stupid outfits.

Another word confused him; Hero? What did the word "hero" have to do with a school? And.. if it really WAS a school, maybe he could get some answers from the people running the joint. Starting with _'Why am I vomiting black sludge everywhere?'_ And, _'Why in the hell does this girl have a horn?'_ Maybe also what year it was would help.

Edward cleared his throat again. "Oh yeah...! Sorry, I guess I hit my head pretty hard... I was actually heading for... U.A. High... Is there a doctor there?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head, pretending to be sheepish and attempting nonchalance. His hair was lumpy, bunched, and sticky with goo and sweat. He thanked himself that it was braided, otherwise it would be a total mess. And the good thing about wearing leather pants is that the goo didn't soak into the material like the rest of his clothes. His lip had stopped bleeding for now too, though it left a sizable stain on his left glove.

It was Lion who answered this time - "Well you wouldn't have gotten very far. Hound Dog has been patrolling the campus to ward off intruders way back since the attacks on the USJ. He would've ripped you to shreds. But to answer your question, yes, we have Recovery Girl."

"We could help you get there. We're students in the hero course. I'm assuming you want help with your... illness. That should be fine." Broccoli chimed in, holding out a friendly hand to Edward's sitting form. Edward had been listening, but once again, not absorbing or understanding anything that came from their mouths. 

_'What the hell kind of name is "Hound Dog?"Or "Recovery Girl?"'_ He thought as he took the hand, noticing the scar-like markings that covered the skin. "Yeah, I wasn't sure what else to do." _'Attacks on the USJ? What attacked? What was the USJ? Were there homunculi here too?'_ "Thanks." Ed thanked them as he was pulled to his super shaky feet. When he got his footing, he immediately shifted to the left side, hearing a sound like a crumpling tin can, and he fell again; landing hard on the asphalt of the road besides the sidewalk with a dull thud and a pained grunt.

"Woah!" He heard Lion call out as he fell, and heard him jog over, pulling him off the road and sitting him up again. Broccoli and the girl - who he called "Chimera," - were staring at him, aghast. Broccoli ran up to him, and crouched besides Lion. 

"Sorry! Are you okay?" He exclaimed as Edward rubbed his side with a wince.

"Ah.... shit--" A stream of Edward's choicest curses flew from his mouth, more at himself then Broccoli. He heard Chimera gasp.

"What happened to his foot...?!" She stammered squeakily, pointing to his lower left leg. He followed her point, as did Lion and Broccoli. He swore again. From his ankle downwards, his foot was crumpled and pointing out at a jagged angle. No automail peaked from his pants or his boots, but the foot was almost completely backwards. 

_'So much for my automail functioning perfectly...'_ He scoffed at it, glancing at the others. They were staring worriedly at him. They probably expected him to be in extreme pain or something. He shrugged.

"I'm fine. Might need a little help walking now, though." He said, motioning towards his foot with a raised eyebrow. Lion and Broccoli shared a glance, and each took one of his arms over their own shoulders, hoisting him from the ground. 

_'Fuck... I thought the last time was humiliating...'_ He griped to himself with a scowl. Since he was so much shorter then both of them, neither of his feet were even touching the ground. They were just carrying his dead weight. But... they didn't say anything about it. Edward was... actually _relieved._ Now that he thought about it, he really didn't have the energy to yell right now. He groaned, inhaled, and his world tilted. He puked more goo again, the substance splattering the ground below him. Broccoli and Lion flinched but didn't drop him, which he was grateful for.

They let him finish before starting to walk, stepping over the fresh puddle. It was... awkward. He decided to break the tension, and, again, now that he thought about it, he couldn't keep referring to them as _'Broccoli, Lion, and Chimera.'_ He spoke, his voice hoarse.

"So do you have names, or what?"

Broccoli and Lion glanced down at him, and Chimera was following quietly behind them. Broccoli smiled, and so did Lion. 

"I'm Izuku Midoryia." Brocc-- no, _Izuku_ replied. Lion pointed his non-occupied thumb at his chest.

"Togata Mirio, at your service!" He exclaimed. Izuku then motioned down at Chimera.

"And this is Eri."

Edward listened, his mind trying to wrap around the names. He'd literally **_never_** heard names like those before, and he doubted he would remember them. Eri looked up at him.

"What's yours...?" She asked timidly, blinking nervously as he looked down at her, who was now keeping pace with them, walking besides him. The horn still freaked him out, though he would never admit it.

He gave her a small, weak smile.

**_"Edward Elric."_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own FMA or BNHA!! All rights to the characters and universes go to their creators!!
> 
> [EDITED/MOVED TO AO3 AS OF 9/26/2020]


	5. To Be a Hero

What stood before Edward at that very moment seemed to suck all of the breath from his lungs and tear the confidence right from his chest.

He was staring at the prestigious hero academy, U.A. High. Or... that's what Izuku and Mirio (was that right?) had called it, at least. Edward personally couldn't give a damn about the level of prestige or the title the school carried. It _was_ just a school after all. Whatever they meant by "hero" hadn't been explained, but that was the furthest thing from his mind as his golden irises hungrily drank in the sight before him.

There was an odd feeling he was getting though; like a looming feeling of being incredibly dwarfed by the marvel before him. He chose to ignore it. For... pride reasons.

It was simply _massive._ The most marvelous example of architecture his alchemist's eyes had ever had the pleasure of examining. It was somehow so much more extravagant yet simple-in-style that even the renowned look of Central itself couldn't compare. A huge, seemingly endless pearly-white building with sparkling windows covering nearly every inch of its surface. It seemed to be shaped like a giant 'H,' though Edward concluded it was definitely multiple buildings after a closer look.

There was a gate; or, more fittingly, an archway, and a long walkway leading into the school. The arch had shining golden letters that simply said 'U.A.' on the front. The perimeter of the campus was scattered with huge, green, swaying pine trees, and the walkways had beautiful, pink, sweet-smelling trees with tiny little petal-like leaves blowing off the branches in the warm breeze. If Edward was a physically emotional person, he'd definitely be crying right now. His lack of doing so... well he noted that as a good thing.

The actual walk to the school hadn't been very pleasant at all. Three times Edward had to stop Izuku and Mirio to puke up more of the tar-like substance that had seemingly invaded his gut. The second time, he hadn't been able to give a warning before-hand. Thus, the students who were practically carrying him had dropped him onto the dirt in surprise, where he laid there choking on goo for like, five minutes. They had apologized profusely for another ten after they had helped him back up.

He was still a little pissed about that.

Edward himself, the person being presented to the grandiose structure was... not up to U.A. standards, if portrayed by the exterior. Not to mention the comparisons he couldn't help but draw between him and the impeccable uniforms of the students on either side of him, who were watching his changing expression with a mix of amusement, surprise, and even pity. ( Of which Ed took no note of for once.)

Not by a long shot. Here he was, being held up in the air underneath his arms with a backward foot, heavily-stained, dusty clothes, tangled, clumped, dirty, coming-loose golden hair, sweat running down the sides of his pale face, and baggy golden eyes - also sporting a cut on his bottom lip that was starting to bleed again. Not that Edward _actually_ cared. There was just something so... _humorous_ about the whole thing. 

He wondered if it had a library.

 _'No. Don't get distracted. You're not here to stay, you're going to get healed, see if alchemy exists, maybe get some answers about this place to take back home to the hopefully - Fuhrer Bastard, and find a way to **get** there.' _Edward reprimanded himself in his head. Another thought came to his mind that made his lips quirk up into a semi-smile. The students shot him a curious glance. Izuku spoke up first.

"What is it?" He asked, tilting his head. If Edward didn't know any better, he had realized this boy probably thought he was crazy. Or close to it, anyways. He gave a slight, hoarse chuckle, not entirely sure himself. He had probably lost his mind when he had decided to join the military at twelve years old.

"If my little brother could see this right now, he'd have shit himself." The alchemist commented, looking wistful. What he wouldn't give at that moment to be able to save this sight for Al somehow for when he returned to his own world. After all, since Al was human now, he technically _could_ shit himself. His mind flashed back to the last glimpse of his brother's form laying on the ballroom floor for a moment before he snapped himself back. It felt good to be able to use an analogy like that for Al again...

"A brother? Are you two close?" Mirio asked curiously. Eri (Edward appreciated her simple name) was standing beside him, her Ishvalan-like eyes sparkling with interest. When Edward nodded, Mirio smiled. Izuku piped in, probably seeing the wistful, happy expression on Edward's face.

"Oh! Does he want to be a hero?"

The question confused the alchemist. _'Again with the hero talk! What is UP with these people?'_

But as the alchemist mulled it over for a few moments, his mind carried him off again.

//||\\\

_He remembered Al silently supporting him through his automail surgery that he had rashly agreed to rush._

_He remembered how Al had backed down from becoming a state alchemist to keep their secret, though he wanted to help his brother with the reckless task._

_He thought of (with a small shudder that earned him a couple of concerned glances) Nina and Tucker, and how Al hadn't lashed out as Edward had._

_How Al hadn't given up on the military afterward and kept looking for material on the philosopher's stone while his older brother had sulked and grieved._

_How he had come to the last-minute rescue when Edward had foolishly gone in to rescue Winry from Barry the Chopper; probably right then saving him from killing a man._

_How Al always seemed to be there._

_It occurred to Edward - not for the first time - that while he had done the stupid, stereotypical storybook hero-ish stuff, Al had quietly been his rock, always thinking things through and being kind and gentle. The little brother was always ready to help out others like Martel, Rick, and Rio; even if they didn't deserve it._

_How he spent many sleepless nights while Edward was slumbering observing nature and watching over his brother at the same time._

_His actions were undeniably more heroic then Edward's and always had been. The younger brother really had always been older than the older brother._

_But Edward knew Al didn't do it for that. He just wanted to protect his big brother and the other people he cared about._

_But now he wasn't here._

_That thought came to him all at once, like a tsunami; flattening everything in its path._

_'Al isn't here...'_

_It was as if Ed hadn't really fully realized the weight of what had been done to him by the gate. Almost as if his mind had been blocking it out for a few merciful hours._

_His rock, his support, his right-hand-man._

_His younger brother, whom he would die to protect._

_All of his family back in the village, his superiors in the military._

_Gone._

_Al wasn't here. Nobody was. The thought repeated over and over in Edward's mind._

_He was in a strange world with people he didn't understand and buildings so bright and complicated it almost hurt his eyes._

_These thoughts overwhelmed him, making him - for the very first time in his life - feel truly and terribly small and alone._

_None of this was like him at all._

_It's crazy how a few thoughts about answering a simple question could unlock so much restrained emotion. He'd have to read up on that sometime._

_A wave of sorrow crashed through the fortresses of the memories. Edward knew it was selfish, but... he was glad Al at least wasn't in his mess of a head._

//||\\\

Edward snapped back to reality, realizing multiple things all at once.

First was that the students supporting him had lowered him down significantly, looking down at him in fear and concern. Or maybe he had just sunk down lower. The boy's bent knees grazed the pavement below him.

Izuku and Mirio seemed to be speaking to him, but the alchemist wasn't registering what they were saying. His bangs hung limply over his face, casting a shadow over his shielded eyes.

Second, his face felt... _wet?_ Edward hadn't cried since he rescued Winry from the serial killer in Central when he was only twelve.

Not even when he had killed a being with his mother's body and voice had he shed a tear. The young homunculus Wrath had done it for him; crying over the loss of his _'mama.'_

Edward was sixteen and was usually really good at being tough. He could take things. He's been through so much that there didn't seem to be any point in feeling sorry for himself. His brother hadn't been able to cry, so why should he have been able to? That was his logic throughout their entire four-year journey together.

But now there were tears streaming down his face, leaving clean streaks in the dust and leftover grime and goop that plagued it. It seemed like they would never stop falling. He watched in detached curiosity as they dripped onto the ground below him, little dark spots littering the shining cement. He had to sharply inhale to prevent a sob from escaping. It was like it wasn't him doing the crying. His body was just doing it for him.

Like always.

Doing it for him.

He felt sad, but yet detached at the same time.

It was almost as if all of the tears, stress, anger, and sadness he'd felt throughout his journey had suddenly come crashing down on his head.

After maybe ten more painful minutes of dripping tears and concerned questions being fired at his face from Izuku and Mirio - despite them still holding him up somewhat with Eri patting his back somewhat timidly - he let out a breath. That breath served to release him of the final dammed-up emotions that had finally left him.

Now Edward felt an odd calm. A determination.

That damn gate better be ready.

 _'First, heal up. Second, learn what I need to in order to perform alchemy and blend in. Third, kick the fucking gate in and get back home. Easy.'_ He thought to himself, raising his head to look, not at the kids holding him, but the building in front of him. His hope to return to where he belonged lied within those walls, he was sure of it. 

Sure, tears still fell from his dirty, pale chin onto the ground, but he didn't care.

He was already planning.

Already calculating.

Edward held up a hand to stop their questions that he hadn't bothered listening to. They silenced, staring at him. The alchemist shook his head.

"No. He doesn't want to be a hero."

Ed paused as they looked at him in confusion. And again, like he was crazy. He was surprised to find his rough voice didn't waver or break.

**_"He already is one."_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thank you for reading!  
> Sorry about the sort-of OOC filler emotion with Ed. I just felt like giving him a moment to think and contemplate. If you have any critique or notice any bad spelling or grammar, please let me know!! I'm having a lot of fun writing this so far. 
> 
> I do not own either FMA or BNHA, and all rights to the characters and universes belong to their creators!!  
> [EDITED/MOVED TO AO3 AS OF 9/26/2020]


	6. Old Ladies are Odd People

After the tears dried and Edward felt as if he couldn't ever cry again if he wanted to, Izuku and Mirio had set him down against the white wall of the archway and were leaning against it themselves to let him clean himself up a little bit.

Edward felt like a child sitting there wiping his face free of tears and swiping dust and grime from his clothes. It was really to no avail, but he had to try. He could hear the three students talking, but he still had them tuned out. Edward didn't really feel like he was in a talking mood right then.

After a few minutes, Edward grumbled under his breath, "Damn, what _IS_ this stuff?" His gloved hands swiped carelessly down his front. With an irritated huff, he dropped his hands; knowing it was a useless task. Whatever this stuff was, he concluded it had to be like some sort of glue - the way it stuck to him.

His mind focused on his small list of vague goals as he locked his eyes onto the building again. It didn't matter what he looked like - the alchemist decided - but it still felt gross. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to meet any other students while he was in there anyway.

He despised most other people his age.

Edward turned his head to the others. _'The hell is that...?'_ He wondered, staring at the small, glowing rectangle Izuku was tapping on in curiosity.

_It. Was. Glowing._

The freckled boy glanced over, seeming to have noticed Edward's stare. He gave the alchemist a bright smile as Edward hurriedly averted his eyes. He would prefer _not_ to look like a moron.

"Are you ready? I was just contacting Recovery Girl to tell her to summon All Might. She said he'll meet us at the clinic." He paused, looking apologetic as Edward widened his eyes in anger.

"You did say you wanted to ask someone about your illness, and he has something similar, I think." The green-haired boy added quickly, pocketing the small rectangle.

"What do you mean he has something _similar?"_ Edward asked gruffly, not sure if he entirely liked the fact of talking to someone who was named _"All Might."_

 _'Okay, I need to know what the hell is up with the names here. All Might? Really?'_ He thought to himself incredulously as Mirio looked over at them from his spot against the wall where he was talking to Eri.

"You'll probably see it before long. It's kind of hard to explain." He said while rubbing his head and shooting a glance at the other boy, confusing Edward even more.

 _'Yeah, way to answer my question.'_ The alchemist rolled his eyes behind his bangs and looked to the building.

"Well are we going in or what?" The golden-haired boy demanded. They nodded and hoisted him from the ground by his arms. The group started heading down the hot, sweet-scented walkway to the school. Edward inhaled deeply, making a mental note to tell Russel and Fletcher about these weird, beautiful trees. Those nature freaks would flip out. The thought lightened him considerably as they approached the entrance. They halted, Izuku peeking into the building.

"Class started already so there shouldn't be too many students in the hallways." He assured Edward, which made him feel a little more comfortable. Again, he would never admit it.

"I don't care. Let's just go." He grumbled, then realized something that instantly made him feel guilty.

"Hey, are you guys missing class for me? 'Cause I can just hop if you tell me where to go. Trust me, I've had worse." That last part earned him some more concerned looks. Izuku shook his head.

"No. U.A. can be confusing for people who've never been in it before. Plus, we wouldn't be very good heroes if we left someone who needs help to fend for themselves." They walked into the building, guiding Edward through straight, clean hallways. 

He decided against asking what they meant, so he let his gaze travel around, drinking in the architecture and atmosphere.

The interior looked kind of like a hospital; Edward had concluded. He'd know. He'd been in _plenty_ of hospitals.

//||\\\

After a little while longer of going up flights of stairs, walking through empty hallways covered with sliding doors, and an admittedly _very_ lost Edward having to stop himself from puking on multiple occasions, they finally made it to the nurse's office.

Now, Edward had been to a school nurse before; when he was little. Back when he, Al, and Winry had gone to school together in Resembool. He was probably the student that went the most out of the entire class, now that he thought about it.

But just like everything else he'd seen today, this was not merely a _"nurse's office."_ This was a damn mini-hospital with beds placed in neat rows along the periwinkle walls, ivs, curtains, and white, glowing boxes that emitted beeps and whirs and stood on tall poles and squat carts. There was a desk near the front part of the room with what appeared to be a larger, flatter version of the glowing rectangle Izuku was tapping on earlier, sporting a tiny old lady in a metal swivel chair. She was wearing weird goggles, had a syringe _(?!)_ tucked in her grey hair, weird pink things covering her ears, and a lab coat. She.... kind of reminded him of Old Lady Pinako, in a way. His eyes were wide and his mind was racing as he scanned the room and the devices inside. The eyes of an alchemist never miss a detail, after all.

He wondered what the floors were made of.

Izuku cleared his throat softly. "Excuse me, Recovery Girl?" He announced their presence, his voice meek. The old lady turned around in her one-legged chair, looking annoyed. Edward marveled at the simple, magnificent technology of that chair as she arched an eyebrow in surprise.

He looked at her and had to stifle a gasp.

_'Wait... This old hag is Recovery Girl? The hell?'_ He thought to himself as he looked down at the old lady, raising his shoulders in an attempt at a shrug. He didn't want his actual emotions to be displayed. He wanted the person healing him to... ya know. Not dislike him.

"I thought you were checking in because of your quirk again, Midoryia." She rasped, turning her head to glance at the limp alchemist supported between them. Izuku chuckled a little and shook his head.

"Hah.... yeah, sorry not this time."

Eri had walked ahead and was sitting on the edge of the nearest hospital bed, looking like she had been here many times before. Like she _belonged_ here.

"Then what do we have here?" The old lady questioned, examining Edward like one of Izumi's prized pieces of meat. He instantly felt uncomfortable.

Mirio and Izuku glanced at each other for like, the millionth time that day, it seemed. They appeared to agree on something before answering the old lady's question. 

"We were taking a walk during lunch and we found him collapsed on the sidewalk near the convenience store." Izuku explained, motioning to the bedraggled alchemist with his free arm. 

Edward scowled, hating how weak the truth made him sound. Before he could say anything, however, the old lady motioned towards the pale bed closest to her desk. They helped him over and he wrestled his arms out of their grip before they put him down. The alchemist landed as well as he could with one functional foot and sat on the edge of the bed with a relieved sigh. Good, he hadn't fallen over and looked like a jackass. Edward subconsciously pulled up the hem of a dirty white glove as he looked at Recovery Girl. She walked the few steps to her desk and sat down, the flat rectangle starting to glow. 

Edward watched in amazement as she clicked on a round thing connected to it by a wire, and it seemed to respond to it. If Winry were here, everything would be dismantled and examined by now.

She snapped him out of his daze with, "You boys can go back to class. All Might got your text and excused your absences. Aizawa wasn't happy as usual, but it's fine."

The students nodded and turned to leave, motioning to Eri, who hopped off the bed and went to follow them. They glanced back at Edward, who had listened to Recovery Girl talk with - once again - no comprehension whatsoever.

"It was nice meeting you, Edward. Hope you get better!" Izuku exclaimed, and Mirio gave him a cheery thumbs-up before they all walked out. Now Edward felt like a dick for not bothering to talk with them more.

"Hey, boy." Recovery Girl's voice jolted him from his thoughts as she turned to face him.

"You're not a U.A. student, right? I've seen _everyone_ in this office at least once, and I haven't seen you at all." She asked, still peering at him from her narrow eyes. They kind of reminded him of Warrant Officer Falman's eyes. They had always creeped him out a little.

He shook his head.

"No ma'am. As they said, they found me in front of..." He tried to remember what Izuku had called it. "...a building." He concluded blankly, hoping he didn't sound as stupid as he thought he did.

It seemed Edward's military experience had rubbed off on him a little. Even here, faced with a small old lady could he not seem to break the habits of salutes and "ma'ams" and "sirs." (with the exception of the col-- no. Hopefully the new Fuhrer-bastard.) She looked a little surprised at the change in his demeanor. 

"Well then. What's your name, kid?" Recovery Girl had turned back to her glowing rectangle, poising her fingers above a platform of lettered squares. He bristled at the word _"kid."_

"Edward Elric." He responded through gritted teeth, crossing his arms over his chest as she pressed onto the letters in rapid succession. They... seemed to appear on the rectangle _AS_ she typed them. It was fascinating.

"Though I go by Ed. Just Ed." The alchemist added, his golden eyes still locked on the rectangle.

"Ah, a foreigner. Sounds... European? Your Japanese is great if you aren't from around here." She asked, but he didn't hear her. The science at play in front of his eyes attracted him, and it seemed the thing had been typed too fast for him to fully appreciate it. He noticed she had caught him staring in child-like awe at the device. She smirked a little, and he huffed with a scowl, looking back at her.

"You act as if you've never seen a computer before." She remarked. He grunted. _'Computer... that name makes sense..'_ He pondered. The old lady seemed to be joking with him, though the statement made him a little wary. He could hear a tiny bit of concern in her voice but had no idea what it was about.

"I just... like science?" Edward regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. The old hag was openly worried now. He clenched his hands into fists against his shirt. 

Then it hit him.

How odd it must be to have a boy who... ugh. _Who looks no older than thirteen_ with goopy, dirty braided hair, and the clothing choices he was donning. He definitely screamed _'Haha I have no idea what year this is.'_ Not to mention wearing a jacket when it was obviously ridiculously hot outside. Edward suddenly became aware of the sweat running down his back, between his shoulder blades.

"Well. It seems there's a little computer scientist in the making in front of me." He blinked once.

Then twice.

 _'A_ **little** _computer scientist??? (Wait is that really a thing....? )GAH!! Doesn't matter!! The nerve on this hag!!' Who's she calling so small that he couldn't climb an anthill because he'd be crushed by the ants?!'_

She turned back to the... computer; completely unaware of the rant inside of his head, and he flipped her the bird from behind.

Edward gritted his teeth, using all of his willpower to not _KILL THIS WOMAN._

Recovery Girl, unaware of Edward flushed red with anger and practically steaming behind her typed something into it. He couldn't read the characters she was typing. They were just... lines to him. 

"Well, what's the problem? You're here for a reason, aren't you?" 

Edward had completely forgotten about his.... issues during the conversation, but her words brought it all back. He clutched his stomach, hearing it growl. She got off her chair and walked over to him, barely reaching the height of his knees when he was sitting on the crisp hospital bed. She seemed to ignore his ankle for now, which was... honestly preferable to her checking it out and realizing it was just crumpled metal and wires beneath the boot. The old lady pressed an ear to his stomach, lifting the flaps of his jacket slightly. He recoiled at the touch.

"Oh, are you hungry?" She asked, pulling her ear away right as he paled. The touch to his stomach had seemed to awaken it again. The world spun around before his eyes, and Recovery Girl seemed to realize what was going to happen a moment before it did. She barely had time to back up a step before he bent over, falling off the bed and to his knees, retching more tar-like black goo onto the smooth blue floor. The old nurse got to her knees and patted him roughly on the back as he choked and trembled. 

Then - seemingly just to add to his humiliation for being seen in this weak state - a gaunt, blonde man with oddly shadowed eyes in a baggy yellow pin-striped suit walked into the room. Edward swore internally.

"Sorry Recovery Girl, I got caught up in the halls. What was this about a sick--" He trailed off, seeing the pitiful, shaking, dirty boy on his hands and knees, and the puddle of goo on the ground. 

_'Great. Just great. Of course, someone has to walk in..._

_now...'_ He thought, his mind slowing down and the world blurring. His arms slid out from under him, and he fell right into the goo. Edward could hear the muffled noises of the man walking over and feeling him rest a hand on his trembling left shoulder and start asking both of them hurried questions. 

**_The alchemist's hearing was distant as his vision faded to black and his head hit the ground for the second time that day._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah! That was a long one! Over 2,300 words! Sorry to make him pass out again, but I decided to end the chapter so I could have a clean segway into the next one.  
> Also, I'm not too sure about the personality of Recovery Girl, so I improvised a little bit. (Too bad I'm literal garbage at writing dialogue.) The next one will be split POV!! Our BNHA boys will have their chance at last!  
> Thank you for reading!! If you have any critique or notice any grammar/spelling errors, please let me know!!
> 
> I do not own either FMA or BNHA, and all rights to the characters and universes go to their creators!  
> [EDITIED/MOVED TO AO3 AS OF 9/26/2020]


	7. Speculation Can Only Go so Far

The scene playing out in front of the man's eyes on the floor was.... not exactly what he had been expecting to see when he walked out of his classroom a mere twenty minutes ago.

//||\\\

Toshinori Yagi, more commonly known as _"All Might,"_ or _"The Symbol of Peace,"_ or _"The Number One Hero,_ " was always running late for something. It was almost like a joke with the other U.A. staff at this point; and they had gotten around to keeping a "Late Chart" in the meeting room for their own amusement. _Tch._ He really didn't think it was a problem as long as he made it there eventually. (Other than getting to villains of course! He WAS the Symbol of Peace after all.) 

...

Well, this is exactly what had happened when he was summoned by Recovery Girl to her office during the middle of a class period. She described a _"sick blonde boy who wants to talk to All Might."_ All Might couldn't just ignore a sick child!!He had immediately stood up, assigned some free study time to his students, and walked out of the class. He was _intending_ to get there as fast as possible.

Then... he stopped for a snack.

Then he stopped to help some students who asked about homework.

Then he went to the bathroom.

Then he got another snack.

...

Okay, maybe it was a _bit_ of a problem. 

//||\\\

The pro hero had pushed open the door of the nurse's office, a small energy bar halfway in his mouth, the wrapper crumpled in his pocket. He looked in through his bangs of jagged blonde hair. All Might entered, rubbing the back of his head with a skinny arm.

"Sorry I'm late Recovery Girl, I got caught up in the halls. What was this about a sick-" His poor excuse trailed off as he heard chokes and gasps coming from the blonde boy he had been told about; on his hands and knees puking his guts out.

Yikes.

 _'Hm... his hair looks more golden then blonde.'_ Was his first thought as he hurried over to the kid. He swallowed the rest of the energy bar and rested his hand on the boy's jacketed shoulder. The substance he was currently expelling was... nothing short of tar. It looked horribly like the sludge villain's quirk. A terrible thought poked at the back of his mind.

_'What if the sludge villain escaped?'_

All Might shook his head and looked down, his brow taut with worry for the poor, pale, dirty child. He looked to be maybe first year age but was super unkempt. His hair was long, nearly down half his back, like it hadn't been cut or even trimmed in months. His skin was pale and his odd dark clothes were grimy. The boy also looked like he hadn't had a decent meal or any sleep in a while.

He couldn't help but be proud of young Midoriya and young Mirio for stopping to help this person in such a bad situation.

"Hey, young boy... what's going on?" He asked, taking the silence in response to realize the kid probably couldn't answer him. The puking seemed to stop, but he was still convulsing and heaving as his body fought a battle to rid itself of what was plaguing it. He turned his gaze onto Recovery Girl, his question glimmering in his shadowy eyes. She sighed.

"I have no idea. He was fine when they brought him in. He talked to me and seemed to be aware of his surroundings; if a little odd. I touched his stomach and he seemed to negatively react to that." The old nurse paused, still rubbing his back. He nodded. "Poor kid looks like he's been hit by a quirk pretty bad. Do you see his foot?" 

All Might's eyes followed to where she had stretched out a short forearm, motioning towards his left foot. A sick feeling rose from the pit of the hero's stomach, wondering how much pain this child had to be in, seeing as his foot - lower-calf down - was snapped backward and mangled. He had been a pro for so long and could stomach a lot of pain while still smiling, but he never could imagine how these villains could hurt a mere kid who wasn't even in the hero course. 

The blonde hero was jolted from his thoughts as the kid suddenly collapsed face-first into the goop, his consciousness leaving him. Recovery Girl sighed, helping All Might as he tried to lift him back from the puddle with a hand against his chest. He was surprisingly heavy for a boy his size and age.

Together, the two teachers hefted him onto the bed he had fallen from, laying him on his back and his head on the pillow. The boy's right arm hit the side of the bed with a hollow _clang._ It was odd, but All Might and Recovery Girl didn't pay it too much attention. It was probably the least of their worries concerning this young stranger.

All Might sat in between the bed and the desk on a simple metal stool, watching as the old lady took the mucky, dark-red hair-tie from his golden locks to let them fan out beneath his neck and shoulders. The hero's mind was nothing but sympathy as he took in the state of his hair. It was matted to the back of his scalp and a tangled, clumpy mess throughout. (Though slightly curled from being wet with sweat and braided for so long.) His bangs were coated with the goop that had come out of him, and a single, really short piece of hair rested on his face from between his bangs. He was also bleeding from a busted lip, the blood from which was now rolling down the side of his chin. The hero sighed and rubbed the blood away with a yellow-striped sleeve. He glanced at Recovery Girl.

"You think you can fix the kid?" He asked quietly, wondering if anything the boy had was deadly. Who knows? It could be killing him from the inside. It honestly could be a parasite quirk or something of the sort. He'd never seen anything like it before, even with the sludge villain. That villain had just been MADE of gloop. All Might hadn't heard of it infesting someone's body in this way.

Recovery Girl was clicking away at her keyboard, writing down symptoms, and things she had noticed in a new file. The old lady shrugged.

"The foot injury shouldn't be too much of a problem, but he might have a permanent limp. Unfortunate but not too noticeable if done right." All Might listened with a small nod, watching the kid's even breaths rise and fall as he slept. "The cut is easy, I heal those every day. It may leave a scar, it may not. Just a busted lip." She paused, swiveling to face the thin hero, who nodded again, dreading her next response.

"I have no idea where the black substance he is expelling is coming from, or what caused it, so I'm not too sure I can do much about that." The old lady raised an eyebrow. "That's probably why Midoriya thought to contact you, what with your injury."

"Good thinking on young Midoriya's part, but I don't think this is related to an injury at all." All Might remarked, glancing down at the puddle that was left on the linoleum. 

"Quite right, All Might. The only problem I can see with that is that it could be eating his body from the inside." All Might blanched. Recovery Girl smiled back. "But it's highly unlikely. I'm sure he would be in extreme internal pain if that were the case. His body might just need to expel whatever this is on its own terms." She explained, hopping off her chair and getting up on a step-stool on the opposite side of the bed to look him up and down.

"He looks like he's been through hell and back." She quipped, resting a wrinkled hand on his feverish forehead, and setting a chilled rag she had gotten from seemingly out of nowehere on top of it. The blonde hero frowned at her remark.

"Let's hope that's not the case."

"Mm." She hummed in agreement. All Might looked down at the boy again.

"Did he say anything about where he's from, or why he's here?" The hero asked. The old nurse shrugged.

"I didn't get around to asking him. His name is foreign though. I was thinking either European or American." She explained.

"Oh? But he spoke Japanese, right?"

"He did. It was nearly perfect, too. You couldn't tell he was from another country just by hearing him."

"What was his name?"

"Edward. He says he goes by Ed."

"Woah, that definitely isn't from around here."

"Yeah. The boy is definitely a mystery, I'll give him that..."

All Might chuckled.

//||\\\

Izuku slid open the door to Classroom 1-A; running a hand through his curled hair with a small sigh. He couldn't stop worrying about Edward and had been fretting over him the entire walk away from the office. Mirio and Eri had bid him goodbye once they were dismissed by Recovery Girl to go on another walk since theirs was cut short. He wished he could too, but he still had classes to go to.

When they left, he had stayed back at the door to listen, having pulled a notebook and a pen from his bright yellow backpack, regrettably quite curious. The boy would make for interesting notes if he had a unique quirk or had been attacked with one. Izuku knew he could still ask when Edward was released, but the prospect of a quirk that invaded you from the inside out was terrifying and intriguing at the same time.

Unfortunately for him, they had just made some small talk, and Edward had somehow gotten Recovery Girl to laugh. Izuku had NEVER heard old Recovery Girl laugh.

He didn't dwell on it too much. The freckled student had a thirst for knowledge and was just hoping to catch some conversation on what had happened. But it never came to that. Something happened, he heard a crash, and Edward was vomiting again. 

_'I'll have to talk to him when he's out then...'_ Izuku had thought with a resigned sigh, tucking his notebook into his blazer and beginning his walk back to class. He had just barely missed All Might.

Now he was back in class, which was in a study hour. The boy hadn't looked up once, muttering to himself about all kinds of possible quirks that had attacked Edward; his hand on his chin. This was good for sifting through information in his brain, but not so good when he unintentionally ignored his friends, Iida and Uraraka, who had come up to him to talk.

Izuku sat at his desk, still pondering, and muttering. His friends glanced at each other with knowing looks, and gave a resigned sigh that pretty much meant _"Later..."_

Throughout the period, his thoughts remained on Edward, still not coming up with anything very... correct.

_**Edward, it seemed, was a medical mystery.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait on this chapter!! I had no more backlogged chapters, so I'm writing fresh now!! This chapter was kind of filler-ish, and was mainly to serve as an introduction to All Might as a POV.  
> Any mistakes, or critique you guys have, I'm all for it!! Thanks!
> 
> I do not own either FMA or BNHA, and all rights to the characters and universes belong to their creators!  
> [EDITED/MOVED TO AO3 AS OF 9/26/2020]


	8. Walking Right Behind You

_Edward blinked open his eyes, rubbing his forehead and slowly sitting up. What he saw surprised him. He was in the underground ruins beneath Bradley's house, in front of the grand entrance to the ballroom where he had spent his final hours in his own world. He was not, in fact, laying on the floor of a massive nurse's office, face-first in a puddle of goop in some wack-job school anymore. The alchemist raised a brow, getting clumsily to his feet._

_His immediate thought was that the other world could've been an elaborate fever dream or something; a foolish spark of hope igniting in his chest as he walked towards the ornate doorway. Maybe he was home after all! A few steps from the ballroom, he paused, a sudden realization dawning on him._

_'Wait a minute..' Edward thought, looking down with narrow eyes. He was clean - his self-made hand shining and his foot fixed. But what was even weirder was the fact that he was almost completely transparent; the cobblestone beneath his feet showing right through them._

_The conclusion he came to hit him like a train, smashing his hope to pieces._

_He was dreaming or something._

//||\\\

_The minutes ticked on; Edward standing still in a stunned, depressed silence._

_He didn't even notice the loud noise of wooden double doors being pushed open._

_"_ _Come on... can you walk?" A soft, kind voice snapped him out of his growing despair, causing him to look up from his own faded appendages._

_It was Rosé - still in her puffy ball gown, clutching a small, bundled baby in her left arm, and a stumbling figure in her right. She looked exhausted, but the mere sight of her made Edward's heart ache with longing._

_"Y... yeah I think so..." A young voice sounded from the figure she was assisting._

_'That voice...!' Ed thought with a jolt. The alchemist hurried forwards, stopping once he stood before them. The sight almost brought him to his knees with joy. Rosé was helping a weak human Al out of the ballroom - who looked extremely unsteady on his feet. His green-brown eyes were out-of-focus as if he were in a daze, but his voice had been pretty steady. He was clutching onto Rosé's outstretched arm as they took slow steps away from the huge door behind them._

_Edward fell in natural step beside Rosé and Al, his face softening into a small smile as Rosé nodded._

_"Okay.. Just take it slowly." She reassured the young boy, the baby she was holding giggling to itself. "I don't want you to fall."_

_Edward didn't hear Al's quiet response. He was too busy examining his little brother from where he stood besides Rosé. He looked healthy, if shaky on his feet. His hair was cut exactly how it had been the day he lost his body, his bangs swept to the side of his forehead over close-cropped brown-blonde hair. He was wearing what had been Edward's tank top; which reached to his knees. Edward's jacket was layered on top of that, his hands only visible at the fingertips thanks to the long sleeves and his face partially covered thanks to the high collar. He was... shorter then Edward had expected him to be at fifteen years old. His voice was higher-pitched then it had been as well. But he didn't dwell on it too much._

_The sight of two people he cared about making it out of the ballroom alive and well meant that he had done his job._

_It hurt to see them both walking away when he longed so much to be there with them._

_He wanted to celebrate getting Al's body back._

_He wanted to ask Rosé what her baby's name was._

_He even wanted to help Mustang restructure the military government that had been nothing but pain for the country since it was formed. He refused to believe that Mustang might have failed._

_He wanted to eat Winry's apple pie with Al and Granny._

_Winry._

_Again, he felt an ache that reached deep into his chest; filling his heart as he stared sidelong at Rosé and Al._

_He wanted to go home to Winry and hear her shouting at him for the state of his automail - as his hand he had transmuted for himself on the fly. He wanted her to fix it so he wouldn't have to deal with the stiff hand that wasn't even jointed ever again._

_That's the only other thing he had wanted throughout the whole journey._

_To just get home to her in one piece. Though he hated to admit it, he needed her. She was the one who held him up with steel and wires. With banter and warmth._

_Hell, he would even be happy to see that damned wrench again if it meant she was there to hit him with it._

_Ugh. Edward was getting too sappy for his own good._

_He looked up, sorrow filling his eyes as he took in the stone where there should be sky. If the Colonel were here, he'd probably say something like,_ _"Get a hold of yourself, Fullmetal. You've been gone for only a few hours."_

_Those hours couldn't seem to go any slower._

_Rosé and Al were silent as they walked through the long since-abandoned streets. He looked around, impressed Rosé seemed to know how to decently navigate the place._

_The moments were peaceful, and Edward felt at ease with them. More at ease than he had since he was dropped out of the gate._

_What he wouldn't give to be able to dream like this again..._

_A slight tug behind his sternum caused him to stop, falling behind the two Amestrians. A sharp bolt of fear zapped through his mind. No! He couldn't wake up already!!_

_He raced forwards again, wrapping his arms around Al's chest in a quick embrace, bending down to bury his face in his little brother's neck; even though he knew Al couldn't feel him._

_"I'll be back, Al... I'll be back, I promise. I'm going to talk to this... "All Might", and learn what I can to make it home and out of that damn nuthouse," Edward muttered to his brother, then let go, looking at his hands. He was rapidly fading._

_He wished he had more time._

_With a sharp, shaky inhale, Edward approached Rosé, whose purple gaze was locked on Al. Instead of a hug, he gripped her wrist that helped Al with his flesh hand, swiping his other arm over his rapidly-filling eyes._

_He whispered to her as she stopped walking, looking confused._

_"Thank you Rosé... watch over him for me, okay?"_

_He paused, the two people in front of him fading from his vision, being replaced by a cloud of inky blackness._

_"I'll be right behind you."_

//||\\\

Rosé was starting to get a bad feeling about something as she walked with Al through the winding streets of the underground ruins, but she couldn't exactly put a finger on it.

It felt as if there was someone besides her, watching her.

It was... really creepy. 

It was almost like a ghostly presence that kept pace with the duo since they had left the ballroom entrance. 

Suddenly, Rosé paused as a shivery feeling spread from her right wrist up through her arm. It was cold like she had dunked the limb in a tub of icy water. The girl didn't dare let go of Al, in fear that he would fall and be too weak to get back up, but she had stopped walking once the cold feeling had become a grip-like pressure on her wrist.

Al didn't realize they had stopped. He was just absently staring at his feet. He seemed so small and fragile compared to the bulky suit of armor she was used to seeing.

She widened her eyes, goosebumps spreading across her skin as a raspy voice whispered in her ear.

_"Thank you Rosé... watch over him for me, okay?"_

A slight pause before, _"I'll be right behind you."_

She blinked, swaying slightly where she stood as the grip on her wrist vanished.

The numbing cold and creepy presence vanished with it.

That was Edward.

That had to be Edward!

There was nothing anyone could do at that moment to shake her from her shock. Not that there was anyone who would try. Al still hadn't said a word.

Edward's request echoed in her ears. 

Rosé was, by nature, a hopeful person.

But she was dead sure that it wasn't something to put _hope_ in.

She had _heard_ Edward's final request to her. She knows she did. The girl shakily inhaled, and gave Al's hand a gentle, coaxing tug as she began to walk again. Her eyes were watery, but she didn't dare let anything spill over. If Edward ever saw her crying, he wouldn't be happy. 

These thoughts gave her strength.

//||\\\

When Edward had told her to leave the ballroom so he could destroy it, and that he would be right behind her and see her up there; she hadn't really expected him to come back. She had seen the look in his eyes. He told her to get bleeding Wrath back above-ground to two blonde boys, presumably brothers, who were waiting up there with such finality. Deep-down, Rosé had known what Edward was probably going to attempt.

That wasn't like him, after all, to leave his brother gone and him alive and fixed. 

But neither of them had returned after maybe six hours. Scared, Rosé had gone back down to see what had happened. To see what had befallen the Elric brothers. She had been harboring a foolish, tiny little glimmer of hope that maybe he really was just destroying the place like he said he was.

Then she got back to the ballroom, which was whole and intact, not having let go of her baby once all evening.

Rosé had wanted to cry. 

Edward wasn't there, but Al was laying in the middle of a large transmutation circle painted on the ground. A small, human Al.

It had been immediately clear what happened, as Edward's shirt and jacket were laying a ways away on the ground as if they had been haphazardly thrown off.

Then she had noticed the small knife that lay besides the circle, beaded with nearly-dried drops of scarlet blood. The same blood was dribbled in a line from the knife to the transmutation circle; a small pool dried besides Al's unconscious form. It was smeared all over the black handle.

A sinking feeling of horror and sorrow had threatened to claw its way up from her stomach and overtake her.

As carefully as she could, Rosé had dressed Al in Edward's clothes, waking the boy up. Edward wouldn't have forgiven her if she had left the younger brother here in a panic. He would've been angry with her; chatised her. She had taken a deep breath, and helped him get to his feet. She ignored the knife. She couldn't look at it.

 _'You did it, Ed. I hope you know you did it.'_ She had looked up and thought, holding back the tears. She would be strong for Al, who needed her help.

When Al had successfully gotten to his feet and they were ready to leave, Rosé made a split-second decision. 

She walked over, kneeled down, and picked up the bloody blade from the shining floor. Without averting her eyes from it, she tucked it in the bodice of her white gown. Rosé wasn't going to keep it or anything. He would've hated that too.

But she felt like the people he was close with would want to figure out what to do with it.

After making that choice, Rosé had straightened up, wiped her eyes, and led Al out, cooing at her giggling baby.

//||\\\

Now, as they walked away, the thoughts of Rosé hearing Edward boosted her; pushing her onwards.

The young state alchemist who had done so much for her, and her people.

She knew right away that the presence she had felt the entire walk was explained.

She knew at that moment she'd see Edward again. He had practically told her so at that moment. 

After all, Rosé had a fine pair of legs, and she was going to continue using them.

//||\\\

Alphonse's mind was muddy.

Swirling and mixing together-- a cacophony of thoughts and odd, disjointed memories trying to connect themselves to each other.

Their mother's transmutation going wrong, his brother's desperate, scared yells and shouts as Al was pulled away, then... a gate. A beautiful, haunting gate that had grabbed onto him and taken him away from Edward, Winry, and Granny.

It seemed as if no time had passed since then and now.

Now he was waking up in a completely different place, a girl he had never seen before dressing him in large, odd clothes. 

Al was confused, to say the least. And... not exactly there right now. Which might explain how he missed his brother's ghostly embrace from behind...

The girl seemed kind at least - almost motherly - which was a feeling that Al missed dearly since their own mother died. The weight of her tan hand on his shoulder was grounding. She had helped him stand up and walk from the room he had woken up in, and kept giving him looks from the corners of her eyes.

Her eyes said he should know who she was.

Where was Ed?

Where was HE?

What happened to Mom?

Why was he barefoot, in a whole different city than where he last remembered being? Did the transmutation have something to do with it? Where was the sun?

It didn't make sense.

Nothing made sense right now.

So he turned his head to the young woman, stumbling a little as he took his eyes off the rough stone they were walking on. It stung the bottoms of his feet, but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to complain.

"Um... If I may ask, who are you?" He decided to break the silence. She looked down at him, her eyes wide. It seemed to say _'do you not know?'_

Al looked down. 

Her face softened into something like understanding and sadness. Why was she so sad? Did something happen to Ed?! His sudden alarm must have been given away in his facial expression, because she shook her head, squeezing his shoulder slightly.

"My name is Rosé, Alphonse. I'll explain everything to you once we get out of here." She paused, considering for a moment, then fixed him with a small smile. Her voice was soft.

It was comforting. 

"You have a lot of people waiting for you."

//||\\\

Edward jolted awake with a small gasp, immediately having to slam his lids shut due to the onslaught of neon light shining above him; seeming to burn into his retinas.

His heart was racing and his teeth were gritted, gnashing together painfully as he recalled his dream. It was so vivid... Almost as if he were seeing what was happening back home as a spectating soul.

Knowing the gate, that was definitely a possibility. Nothing ever made sense with it.

_'Damn the gate and its confusing-ness!!!'_

He would have to figure that out and see if he could do it again. If he could see how things were going over there, nothing would ever make him happier. Well... except for actually going back. But that was about to be a work-in-progress.

The problem still remained of how it happened in the first place, but he didn't think about right then.

In contrast to how he felt in his dream, here he felt absolutely terrible. His last bout of vomiting mized with his earlier crying must have dehydrated him because his head was pounding and his limbs felt like they were made of lead. The non-metal ones, anyways. He was relieved they had left his jacket on for the time being, because he really didn't feel like explaining that one if they didn't have prosthesis like that in this world. He could feel his hair on his neck and was a little angry that the old lady must have taken it out when he collapsed.

He held onto the sight of Rosé and Al in front of the ballroom, knowing that would be a huge comfort to him going forwards.

Edward sucked in a deep breath to calm his heart rate, and slowly opened his eyes, flinching away from the painful lights and turning his head to the side.

He widened his eyes at the scrawny, blonde man in the suit who was sitting beside his bed, looking happy.

"Oh good, you're awake!" The man boomed, getting the attention of the short old nurse from her desk. She got up and changed the cool rag on his burning forehead. The cold on his head felt like putting water on hot coals. He relaxed a little. Edward cleared his throat to address the man; his mouth and throat feeling like sandpaper.

"Yeah... do you happen to have any water?" The bedraggled alchemist rasped, reaching up a gloved hand and massaging the bridge of his nose to combat the headache.

The blonde guy nodded and got up to get some while the nurse tended to his head. 

Then she did the weirdest thing he could possibly imagine a nurse doing to her students.

She kissed his forehead.

What. The. Fuck.

Edward flinched away, looking appalled as he stared at the wrinkled face above him.

"What the hell was that?!" He exclaimed, bringing a hand up to his head. She raised her small hands in a joking surrender, a smile spreading across her face.

"I'm helping your injuries. Now you should probably calm down before you make that head worse." Recovery Girl said with a wink. Now he was thoroughly creeped out by this witch. Then something happened the next moment that freaked him right the fuck out. The small cut on his lip began to tingle, then sealed together; leaving nothing but a tiny, pale scar.

"How in the _h--_ " He began, a hand pressed against his mouth, getting cut off by the return of the man with a small bottle of water in his hand.

"Here you go, kid." He offered the bottle with an outstretched hand. Edward took it gratefully with a muttered: "thank you, sir." His mind was racing. The nurse just looked amused.

The two adults helped him sit up. His "injured" leg was stretched out in front of him on the soft cot mattress as he unscrewed the cap of the bottle - downing half in one gulp. The cool water felt like heaven on Earth - so much so that Edward couldn't help but release a small sigh of relief. He looked over at the man, listing his head to the side. Edward had the urge to run his hand through his hair, but he really didn't want to be made aware of the horrid state it was probably in.

"Are you... All Might?" He asked, remembering that was who was supposed to meet them at the nurse's office. _'All Might'_ looked shocked; something in his face saying _'you really didn't know that?!'_

Well, how the hell was he _supposed_ to?! Was this guy famous or something? Edward frowned indignantly as All Might nodded.

"Yes, young Edward. Young Midoryia said you needed to talk with me?" He inquired, settling his elbows on his knees and folding his hands together. Edward thought for a moment, wondering what the best way to respond to that was. He ignored the word usage of "young Edward;" not wanting to blow any chances he had of staying here. He _had_ to stay here. If this really was a prestigious school, it would give him a place to stay, and a place to research to get home. He would fight someone to stay if he had to. The dream he had had just made him more determined than ever.

"Well... I actually need to talk to whoever's in charge around here. I figured a guy named _'All Might'_ would be a good place to start." Edward explained, draining the rest of the water bottle; crumpling it around in his hands.

All Might nodded, though he still looked surprised that Edward didn't know who he was. How far was his head up his own ass?

Recovery Girl had stayed silent during this conversation, just checking vital signs like his heartbeat and blood pressure, which he was sure was through the roof.

"Why do you need to do so?" The gaunt man rested his chin on a hand, looking Edward up and down. The alchemist huffed.

"I just do. It's really important."

When the man didn't look too convinced, Edward began to feel desperate. So much for acting tough.

"Please..! I really need to talk to this person. I'm not planning to blow up the school or something, I promise." He said hurriedly, gripping the sheet he was sitting on.

If there was one thing Edward hated, it was feeling desperate.

After a few minutes--which seemed like an eternity-- All Might slowly nodded.

"Alright then. I'll talk to Principal Nezu to see if you can meet with him once your foot is healed." He promised, smiling at Edward.

Edward blinked, then gulped. He couldn't wait until they accidentally found out about his foot, and couldn't spare the time to pretend he doesn't know why it isn't healing. The alchemist sighed. He'd have to explain after all. Hopefully, alchemy exists in this world so he could at least fix it himself.

_**"Well... about that..."** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! I've gotten some really nice comments and new readers coming to this on both Wattpad and Quotev, which I was not expecting!!  
> So really, thank you!! This has been a pleasure to write and I'm excited to keep going!!  
> Also, dang I enjoyed writing Rosé way more then I was expecting. I love her with all of my heart. Can I just call for more 2003 Rosé love?  
> The story is now all set up to gear up and kick into the plot!! :D  
> ((Oh, and the whole dream thing will be explained in the story!! ^^))
> 
> I do not own either FMA or BNHA, and all rights to the characters and universes belong to their creators!  
> [EDITED/MOVED TO AO3 AS OF 9/26/2020]


	9. Long Talks with a... Weasel?

As the moments wore on, it was... getting increasingly more difficult for Edward to keep his irritation in check.

Recovery Girl was bent over his steel leg to examine the workings closer (always a nurse), poking, prodding, and twisting while All Might simply stared at the limb in fascination; listening to the metallic clinks and groans that filled the silence. Sometimes she would twist a screw, and that would send a small jolt of pain through his stump. He didn't make any noises though - knowing if he opened his mouth he would just yell at her - and instead resigned himself to just gripping the soft pastel bed-sheets in his gloved hands.

Anything to not ruin his chances of staying for the precious resources this school could contain.

Edward flinched slightly when she accidentally hit the sensitive skin around his port. Man, why did she have to be so damn _handsy!?_

It was quiet in the huge room, and Edward was just waiting for them to stop so he could attempt to fix his leg; then go see the principal. That was the first step to him being able to get home. Not to mention that the golden-haired alchemist was also itching to see if he could perform alchemy in this world, and was thinking that his leg would be a good place to start.

Once the hag was done _fiddling_ with it.

"Technology has been improved wildly these past few decades, but I have never seen a prosthetic as advanced as this before... There's support gear more advanced than this, but I've never seen one meshed completely with the flesh that wasn't excruciatingly painful."

A deep, raspy murmur broke through the silence that had permeated U.A.'s nurse's office. Edward, a few minutes prior, had had to explain to All Might and Recovery Girl the state of his automail leg, which the nurse didn't believe at first when he had explained it to them.

//||\\\

"Well, uh, _about that..._ it's not really injured." He had explained, trying to do it simply with the best of his limited knowledge in the field. This was where Winry shined, and he could only imagine how much she would be talking right now if she were standing here with him. Only after having beat him over the head with her wrench for destroying her _precious_ automail. It made his head hurt just thinking about it.

The thought drew a wistful sigh from Edward's mouth.

"What do you mean _'it's not injured?'_ That ankle is twisted completely backward, boy!" All Might had exclaimed, motioning to the leg that was rested on the soft mattress. Edward pinched the bridge of his nose with an annoyed sigh.

"The leg is _fake_. If I really were injured, then I would probably be passed out in agony right now. Maybe with a fever to boot." He paused, taking in the teacher's facial expressions. All Might looked like he was pondering the likelihood of a child with a fake leg.

"Your leg is fa--?" He began, but was cut off by Edward holding up a hand and plowing ahead.

Recovery Girl merely looked... skeptical?

"Yes. It's fake. Woah, big shock, I know." Edward stared at him, whose shadowed blue eyes were filling with pity and sympathy. Great. Just what he had not wanted. That was probably the worst part of having automail in Edward's opinion. The looks of pity and _'oh, poor kid..'_ that he got whenever someone found out. Unless he was engaged in combat with them. During those times, the reveals were pretty badass, he had to admit.

He remembered the look on Cornello's face when he had to reveal his metal arm to the phony priest; back when he first met Rosé in Liore. She had been absolutely horrified, and hated him at first. When he and Al had left the city, he had thought that maybe she still had.

Though when the alchemist looked back on it, that was probably his favorite automail reveal to date. They could get pretty dramatic.

It had happened barely a year ago, but it felt like way longer.

Time was funny that way, huh?

Edward shook his head, seeing as All Might was about to say something.

"Don't pity me, old man. It's my own fault it's gone. I live just fine without it, and happen to have the best mechanic in the world who can fix it up in a jiffy." He motioned towards his foot with a flourish but purposefully avoided telling them about his right arm. He decided he would prefer to have the element of surprise with that one. _Just in case..._

All Might looked as if he were going to say something else, but Recovery Girl beat him to it, shaking her grey-haired head.

"I've had kids try to get out of treatment before, but this is a little crazy young man. And trust me, I know crazy." The old nurse had tried to talk him out of his ' _outlandish'_ explanation for his injury;much to Edward's chagrin.

"If you have the best mechanic in the world, why did you need to see me, then? Just give them a call." She continued. He scowled at the nurse, wishing he could do nothing _but_ call Winry.

He had been _expecting_ to be pitied, but not out-right denied. So, begrudgingly, he had kicked off his left combat boot - which landed on the tile just to scatter flecks of mud and dried goo everywhere - and rolled up the tight black leather of his pants that covered the grimy, dull metal.

"My mechanic is a long, long ways away. I couldn't call her; and trust me, I want nothing more."

//||\\\

"Have you really not seen anyone else with wired prosthetics? You're right about the technology here. You would think this would be a pretty common thing." Edward asked the odd, gaunt man that was now seated on a stool at the alchemist's bedside. Edward was propped up in a sitting position on his hands, which were stretched out behind him.

"Well, we don't have too many people that are missing limbs. Hospitals can save limbs a lot of the time. Plus, after all, there are a few healing quirks out there that can even regrow them." Recovery Girl explained from the foot of the bed, finally looking up from Edward's appendage; much to his appreciation. They didn't seem to want to question his lack of knowledge on the subject, so he hoped playing up being from a different, faraway country was working.

But what she said surprised him, and he straightened a little, accidentally betraying himself with his giddy expression.

"What do you mean? You can _regrow limbs?!"_ He asked - a little too excitedly. Then he pondered it again, a hand rubbing his chin. "But wait. That's not scientifically possible..." Edward muttered to himself quietly. The heroes exchanged a confused glance. Recovery Girl shrugged and hopped down from her stool, walking back to her desk.

"I personally can't, but there are some out there who can. Healing quirks of that caliber are pretty uncommon." Edward deflated a little, but inflated a little as well, the thought niggling in the back of his mind. He highly doubted it was even remotely possible, but he had seen a lot today. Who knows? Maybe it really could happen. After all, Recovery Girl _had_ just healed a busted lip with a kiss. Before he could ask a question, All Might rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Did you happen to hit your head?" He asked, his voice tight with concern for the golden-eyed alchemist, who was staring at him with a raised brow.

"What do you mean? My head is fine," He responded sharply, his eyes narrow. "Why do you ask?"

He heard the old lady sigh from her desk with the glowing rectangle.

"I guess I must be right, then." She swiveled her chair to face him. "We're thinking you have a minor case of amnesia or a concussion. Your questions and mannerisms show that your mind thinks you aren't familiar with quirks at all. Not to mention the way you were staring at my computer earlier."

Edward blinked, then realization flooded through him all at once as All Might nodded. They thought he had fucking _amnesia._ Was whatever they were talking about _THAT_ widespread?

Now he felt like an idiot.

"Yeah. Do you... uh... remember what _your_ quirk is?" The man asked, nearly drowned out by the loud clacking of Recovery Girl's letter squares, and snapping Edward from his thoughts.

Edward was, for lack of a better term, flabbergasted. He had NO idea what these nutcases were talking about, and it must've shown on his face because All Might gave a resigned grunt and pushed the alchemist back into a laying position.

 _'What the fuck is a "quirk?"'_ He pondered to himself as he was laying down. What was WRONG with this world? Edward snarled and pushed himself up again, glaring at the thin man.

"I don't have any damn _amnesia."_ He spat out the last word as if he had just eaten dirt. At this point, his mind was at _'screw politeness. I don't have time for this shit.!'_

"But--" All Might protested, frowning as Edward cut him off.

"I grew up homeschooled in a small town a long ways away. We were pretty secluded, so we didn't hear much or have much. A lot of the people there don't have... quirks." The boy explained, absently fiddling with the hem of a glove and hoping that he had got it right and sounded convincing. Though he actually DID grow up in a village, so it wasn't too hard to come up with. Whatever a quirk was, he hoped people couldn't have one. The way these two talked about them, they sounded as common as a brain.

But, much to Edward's surprise, they both seemed to accept that with relief.

"Ah, I get it. Being raised in the country is nothing to be ashamed of, my boy!" The man clapped him on the back, and Edward winced internally, his contaminated stomach churning a little. Apparently, this geezer took his hesitation at the word 'quirk' and chalked it up to embarrassment at being a country bumpkin. _Great._ He heard the old nurse wheeze a chuckle from her desk and pinned a golden glare on her.

It took her maybe thirty seconds to compose herself. _What a kind old lady._ He grit his teeth, not wanting to lash out again. Yeah, she definitely reminded him of old Pinako.

"Well, anyway, kid. What's your quirk? We have to know for security reasons, since this IS a school campus after all. We have heroes on staff but we don't want you alone with the principal if we don't know what you are capable of." She turned from her _'computer'_ and looked at him, raising an eyebrow in question when he hesitated again.

She made this _'quirk'_ thing sound like some sort of.. weapon? Was it similar to alchemy? Alchemy can certainly be considered a weapon, especially when it comes to the state alchemists and their brutal, alchemic warfare and damaging street combat. He decided to try and break it down to figure it out before he made a move. Edward's mind was, after all, the genius mind of a young state alchemist prodigy.

_'Let's start with the word itself... The word "quirky" means peculiar or unexpected traits. Take away the 'y' and it means peculiar behavioral trait... Alchemy could count for both if it doesn't exist here. They haven't mentioned it once so I can assume that it doesn't, or it isn't widespread. Maybe I can risk trying it on my leg, then if it doesn't work, then say I don't have one? Or if it does... then bingo! An alibi.'_

"..."

"Ahem..." Recovery Girl cleared her throat, snapping Edward from his daze. He had been looking down at his gloved hands, muttering incomprehensible nonsense under his breath for nearly a minute. Well, it was nonsense to them, anyways.

He rubbed the back of his head.

"Right. Sorry." He apologized, giving them a strained, sheepish smile. Now that he was about to try alchemy, his heart was pounding in anticipation and, admittedly, dread. He didn't know if the transmutation would even occur, and if it didn't, he would have to figure out another way to get back to Amestris somehow, which could take _years_ without alchemy. The alchemist looked at his steel leg and sucked in a breath.

"Now or never...!" Edward mumbled as he clapped his hands together, hearing the familiar metallic ring that accompanied the actual clapping noise. Then...

There it was...!

The familiar buzz of harnessed energy in his hands, burning from the tips of his fingers and flooding through his palms, then up through his arms; metal or otherwise. Edward had never been happier feeling that wonderful sensation. His heart rate steadied as he reveled in the crackling electricity and energy for a moment.

 _'Yes!'_ He thought excitedly to himself as he tapped his hands to his leg with a burst of bright blue light. His hair and jacket blew backward slightly as he held his hands in place, his leg slowly reworking itself and meticulously reconnecting metal plates, gears, and wires, the blue reflecting in his deep golden irises. All Might and Recovery Girl watched, enraptured as they leaned forwards to see what exactly Edward was doing.

//||\\\

It took a while - since fixing automail isn't exactly his strong suit, and had only taken basic maintenance and repair lessons from Winry - but now he sat back, flooded with joy and relief, flexing his metal toes one by one to see if they functioned. A little stiff in places, but it was workable. He bent his knee up and down and stretched out his calf. Definitely not Winry's delicate handiwork that he was so used to, but he'd at least give himself a passing grade.

"You distributed and manipulated the matter in your leg?" Recovery Girl guessed, whom he hadn't noticed was leaning over his newly-fixed limb again, perched on her metal stool. Edward nodded.

"That's the basic gist of it, yeah. I can manipulate the matter around me as long as I know what its components are." He explained, once again beyond-relieved that he had gotten the definition of _'quirk'_ relatively correct, judging on their facial expressions. The wrinkled lady nodded and hopped down, going back to her desk and typing something into the computer.

"What do you call it?" All Might asked. Edward turned back to face him. He looked intrigued and curious like he was watching a particularly interesting science experiment.

_'What did he call it? Did these 'quirks' have names??'_

He shrugged, thinking about it for a second before making up his mind.

"Equivalent Exchange." The golden-haired teen stated simply, rolling down his pant leg; which left a tight, red, ring-like marking on his thigh. The teachers nodded, pondering this before the nurse swiveled around again.

"So I take it you can walk now?" She asked, motioning towards his dull metal appendage; the toes still flexing and bending. Edward nodded.

"Good. Then, All Might, Principal Nezu e-mailed me. I had already told him about the boy, and he said he'd love to see him." She explained, the statement making Edward's heart lift. He might actually be able to stay!! All Might got up from his seat at Edward's bed-side, ruffling his spiky blonde hair.

"Alright. I'll take him down there then." He said, glancing at the alchemist with a small smile. Edward ran a hand through his clumpy bangs and turned, pushing himself from his bed. He stood a little shakily at first, but the fact that he could stand at all was a breath of fresh air. If All Might had to carry him down there like those students from earlier had, well, he didn't know if he could stand any more humiliation like that. The boy pulled his hair back into a low-hanging ponytail with his grimy hair-tie that he spotted on the nurse's desk, and put on his left boot.

"Thank you, Recovery Girl."

"No problem kid. Now you boys better get going. Nezu is a busy man." Recovery Girl waved the two off as they turned and slid open the doors. As Edward stepped out behind All Might, he felt a little bit of weight lifting off his shoulders.

//||\\\

The walk to the principal's office passed with an extremely long, awkward silence. Instead of talking to the odd man walking beside him, Edward busied himself with gawking some more at the magnificent architecture of the school. It was beautifully cleaned and maintained for being a high school. When compared to his old schoolhouse back in Resembool, it was like comparing night and day.

Where his schoolhouse's hallway was cluttered, wooden, small, and homely, U.A's gigantic maze of hallways was white, clean, and sunny; windows occasionally spotting the clear walls. Lockers and sliding doors were spaced every few feet, and every classroom was labeled with a clear sign that clung to the wall above the doors and stuck outwards like a stop sign.

It was magnificent, and Edward didn't think he was ever going to get used to it.

The alchemist turned, catching All Might's eye. The man had been staring at him in amusement like he was laughing at the dumb country kid who had never seen a building this grand before. Edward frowned slightly and quietly resumed his sight-seeing.

//||\\\

Finally, they reached the doors to Nezu's office. Now, Edward had been to a principal's office MANY times as a kid, (mainly for punching annoying kids in the jaw whenever they made fun of Al or Winry) but he had never seen a pair of doors this big and intimidating, even if they were the same type of blue sliding doors that all the classrooms he had seen had.

All Might clapped another big, thin hand on his shoulder, and Edward looked up at him in question.

"I'll wait out here. I assume you just want to speak to him alone?" All Might said, motioning towards the door. Edward blinked in surprise and nodded.

"Yeah, thank you." The boy smiled slightly at All Might, walking up to the door and rapping on the surface with his flesh hand so as to not accidentally bust a hole through it with his right.

"Come on in!" A bright voice sounded from inside. Edward inhaled slightly, and slid open the door, walking in and sliding it shut behind him with a soft _click._ He looked up and raised a hand to his forehead, blocking out the onslaught of sunlight that came from the all-window wall at the back of the office.

"Ah! There you are! Come over here and have a seat!" The voice sounded to the side of Edward, so he turned, seeing a row of little black couches. He walked over and sat down, absently pulling on his sleeves. He hated authority figures like principals. Too stuffy for the tiny amount of power they held. This one seemed no different if judging by his office.

"Uh... thank you for having me." He stammered a little, already feeling tight and uncomfortable. Another thing Edward hated was having to be formal. He'd been to _way_ too many mandatory parties and galas thrown by the military; and they were usually just an excuse for people to flaunt their status. Formality in that sense left a bad taste in his mouth. 

"It's no problem at all Mr. Elric." The principal responded, and Edward heard the familiar _clink_ of a teacup being set on a coffee table. The alchemist looked up and nearly knocked over the table he stood up so fast, spluttering in a mix of confusion and disgust.

It was NOT a human being sitting across from him.

It looked like a... white rat? Maybe a weasel of some sort. It was small, had friendly little black eyes, a scar over his right eye, and was wearing a tiny human-like suit. It was chimera-ish. The sort of creature Edward saw in his ever-present nightmares.

However, the creature merely looked quietly amused at Edward's outburst. Edward was feeling nothing but a mix of creeping sensations of revulsion, horror, bile, and a substance that felt suspiciously like the black goo clawing at the back of his throat. His stomach was roiling angrily.

_'Seriously, what the fuck is UP with this world?! First, that little girl had a horn, then that old hag practically instantly sealed a busted lip, and now a fucking RAT is sitting in front of me drinking chamomile!!'_

His mind was racing, but he didn't sit back down. The golden-haired boy shakily pointed a hand at the silent principal.

 _"You're_ the principal?!" He choked out, immediately knowing how insanely rude he was being at that moment. He could practically _hear_ Al's scolding _"Brother!!"_ Edward slammed his mouth shut. Before he could apologize, the principal let out a small laugh.

"Shocking, right? I like to say unique, myself, but shocking works too." The white animal joked, his eyes twinkling. He held out a paw, smiling kindly.

"Principal Nezu. Nice to meet you, Mr. Elric." Nezu practically squeaked, his tail-tip flicking slightly as Edward extended his left hand, shaking the paw as he relaxed a bit. He had to remind himself that this was indeed a separate world from the one he lived in, and apparently, animals could be... sentient...? His scientific mind wanted to combust into nothingness right there, but he kept his composure.

All the more reason for him to go home.

"Do you like chamomile?" The principle asked, pointing at the steaming teacup that had been put out for Edward. He nodded and sat back down, grabbing the teacup gently. He took a small drink, never taking his gaze off the creature.

"I... uh. I'm sorry about that. I just haven't seen anything like you before." Edward apologized, running a hand absently through his dirty ponytail. Nezu shook his head good-naturedly.

"It's alright! And just in case you're curious, I'm a stoat. People seem to like to think I'm a rat." He joked again as Edward drank some more tea. The hot drink felt great with his stomach, the warmth soothing against whatever beasts had taken residence in his insides. He smiled slightly.

"I see. I was thinking weasel." Edward joked back, almost immediately taking a liking to the odd principal. Nezu nodded.

"Ah... valid guess. Weasel is closer to stoat then meerkat at least. I've had a lot of people calling me a meerkat, and frankly, that is just insulting." Nezu smiled again as Edward choked a little, covering up his chuckle in the crook of his elbow. Once Edward had wiped the drops of tea from his chin, Nezu crossed his legs, sitting cross-legged on the smooth, leathery black couch.

"So! What did you need to speak to me about, Mr. Elric?" The principal tilted his head slightly, Edward setting down his empty teacup.

"Right..." Edward hesitated for a moment. How should he word this? Nezu seemed like a nice guy, but he still didn't know how strict he was when it came to his school. "Before I ask you what I want to ask you, I have to explain some things first. It's up to you whether you believe me or not, I guess." He began, crossing his left leg over the knee of his right, resting his elbows on his knee.

Nezu prompted him gently with a nod.

With a quick intake of breath, Edward launched into his explanation that sounded crazy even to his own ears.

//||\\\

He explained that he came from a world opposite this one; from a country in said world called Amestris. He explained the year it was there, how alchemy had advanced further than mechanics, the military, the state alchemists, the government, the homunculi, his brother's body, searching for the Philosopher's Stone, how it all led to fighting Dante in the ballroom underneath Central, and how he sacrificed himself to get his brother's body back.

He explained how the gate worked, how it presumably pulled him to the other side to keep his soul, mind, and body intact, and now he was coughing up goo in a strange world he didn't understand. He was still able to use alchemy and needed to find a way to get back.

It felt great to finally dump all of this on someone, even if they didn't believe him.

By the time Edward had finished, the sun was setting quietly, soft orange and red light illuminating the two figures on the couch.

Nezu had sat quietly and merely listened during the whole thing, which took around two hours for Edward to conclude. Edward was grateful for the silence, but, if the military had taught Edward a thing, it was that silences could mean _anything._

The alchemist let out a breath, messing with the high collar of his black jacket as he watched Nezu. The stoat seemed to be in quiet thought.

 _'At least he didn't immediately dismiss my story as bullshit.'_ Edward thought to himself as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

After a few moments that felt like an eternity, Nezu met Edward's gaze, nodding slowly.

"I see. I have always theorized there may be other worlds out there. You can still use alchemy?" He asked, making Edward's jaw drop.

"You _believe_ me?!"

"I _choose_ to believe you, yes. I don't see how you could make something like that up. Besides," The principal paused, leaning slightly closer to Edward, peering into his eyes. "I can see the desperation and grief in your eyes." Nezu observed, setting down his long-empty teacup with a _tnk._

Another trick the military had taught Edward over the years. The eyes can tell many, many stories. They can be a gateway to your very soul if you look hard enough.

The alchemist smiled, overcome simultaneously with relief and weariness.

"Well then, yes. I tried using alchemy back in the nurse's office, and it worked just like it does back home." He paused, then gave a small sigh. "Would you mind if I asked some questions before I get to what I really wanted to talk about?" Edward asked, leaning back on the leathery cushions with a small sigh.

"Be my guest!" Nezu exclaimed, his tail flicking once more.

//||\\\

Another few hours passed; the soft fiery hues of sunset had faded to pale, white moonlight; speckled with stars. Locusts could be heard from just outside the window, calling goodnight to each other with their loud, monotone buzzing.

All of Edward's questions had been answered to his satisfaction at last. Nezu had explained to him what year it was, what quirks were, the history of quirks, heroes and villains, hero schools, (which was what U.A. was, apparently) location, geography, money, and technology such as the computers and the little glowing rectangle that Izuku had; which was apparently called a cell phone. A mobile phone like that. That had shocked him.

It was a lot of information to take in, but he took it in stride, more determined than ever to get home. Back where there weren't "heroes" and "villains."

It sounded like stuff out of Al's old bedtime stories he would read back when they were little kids.

The alchemist nodded gratefully as Nezu finished telling him about the money system of the country they were in; which was called Japan. The odd writing and characters he had seen were apparently called _'kanji.'_ Edward was sure he would never remember any of the names of things in this strange new country.

Finally, Edward was ready to ask his actual question. He asked Nezu if he could, and got a nod in response.

"Well... I was wondering if I can stay here for a while. It being a school would provide me with resources and a place to stay so I can go back to where I belong faster. I just need to research. Since this is a hero academy, I can use alchemy to fight, too. I'm a state alchemist back in Amestris." He finished talking hurriedly, messing with his jacket as Nezu thought about it.

If Nezu thought about questioning why a sixteen-year-old was in the military, he didn't act on it; which was a huge relief to Edward. Instead, the principal merely nodded again, a paw resting on his fuzzy chin.

"I don't see why not! I can put you in class 1-A tomorrow so Mr. Aizawa can watch you and tell me which class you actually belong to. You'll have full access to all of U.A.'s facilities if you choose to be a student here." Nezu explained, Edward's face growing brighter by the second.

He'd never thought he'd see the day where he was _excited_ to be put into a school. But here he was, literally on the edge of his seat in anticipation.

"Of course sir. Thank you. What do I have to do?" He asked, stifling a yawn. He could get sleep when he was done here, so he scolded himself internally. Though Edward dd count his blessings, grateful he didn't vomit anything up during this meeting.

Nezu smiled.

"I'll just need a hero name for you, just in case you're put in a hero course." The principal explained, getting to his feet. He barely came to Edward's stomach when the boy, too, stood up.

Without hesitation, Edward simply said, "Fullmetal. It's my military alias."

"Alright then! Edward Elric, The Fullmetal Hero! It's got a lovely ring to it, Mr. Elric." Nezu exclaimed cheerfully, not seeming to mirror Edward's weariness. They both ambled on over to the door. Nezu slid it open.

"You'll be staying in the nurse's office for tonight so Recovery Girl can watch over you. You'll get your uniform tomorrow, and All Might will show you where to go for class. I sent him down there while you were talking."

Edward stuck out his left hand again, unable to stifle a small yawn. Principle Nezu took the hand.

"Again, thank you so much." The alchemist thanked the stoat, his eyes gleaming.

"No problem Mr. Elric. Do you know the way back?"

"I do, don't worry. I like to think I have a good memory sometimes." He joked, putting his gloved hands in his pockets as he turned to leave.

"Goodnight Mr. Elric."

"Likewise."

The door slid shut behind him, and Edward began to make his way through the winding corridors, feeling lighter then he had all day. He felt as if he was already on his way home.

//||\\\

_Quiet, furious muttering and growling could be heard from the inside of a cave, deep in a wild area way outside of Tokyo and U.A. High._

_"That brat."_

_"_ _That bastard."_

_"_ _I'm going to kill that brat."_

_"Then I'll kill the bastard."_

_The beast was livid, twisting and winding; half-asleep. It's scales ground against the rock walls surrounding it as it fumed. It had plans, it seemed._

_"I'm going to kill that brat."_

_"Then I'll kill the bastard."_

_"I'm going to kill that brat."_

_"Then I'll kill the bastard."_

_"I'm going to kill that brat."_

_"Then I'll kill the bastard."_

_On and on the words repeated, the only other noises were the chirping crickets outside._

_**The night went on, the beast disturbed by violent dreams of fathers and sons...** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! Wow!! 5000 words on this one! It's 1 AM but I just got hit with inspiration and couldn't stop writing. Hope this chapter was good! Things have been a little slow so far, but it's going to get a little quicker from here!  
> Also, I imagined that Edward's alchemy would work like a quirk in this world. He can do his alchemy, but that means there's going to be drawbacks...  
> If you have any critique or corrections for me, let me know!! And thank you so much for the comments I've been getting! I appreciate it!
> 
> I do not own either FMA or BNHA, and all rights to the characters and universes go to their creators!  
> [EDITED/MOVED TO AO3 AS OF 9/27/2020]


	10. Alibis and Bright-Red Neckties

The large nurse's office of U.A. High was unusually empty; morning light shining in weak, pale streams through a small window as the sun rose above the tips of the surrounding pine trees. The light warmed the room gently, combating the frigid air conditioning that was kept stupidly low; at a whopping 64° Fahrenheit. The only question was _why the actual fuck??_

To Edward, no room in _ANY_ building under _ANY_ circumstances was allowed to be that cold; not to mention in Amestris, air conditioning wasn't that common and was still a relatively new thing, so this felt so much more _powerful_ to the alchemist then he was used to. If the still-cool air from outside in the hallways _warmed_ the room when you opened the door, you know you've either got a psycho or a sociopath running the thermostat. 

He was betting on both.

Though he _was_ known for his overreactions...

In the midst of this deep freeze - which is how Edward thought of it since it made his automail ports ache slightly in not-so-subtle protest to the temperature - the boy was alone and sitting on his periwinkle bed (cot), fiddling with a bright red necktie that was part of the uniform he had received when Recovery Girl had unceremoniously shaken him awake barely thirty minutes ago; saying she had to go do some things and had shown him his new uniform before leaving. He was grumbling under his breath as he attempted to acceptably tie the wretched thing; something along the lines of "the early bird gets _nothing_ goddammit." The grey-and-green blazer that went with everything was crumpled on the floor at his feet.

Edward was no stranger to waking up early, sure, but that didn't mean he had to _like_ it. The boy was known for staying up well into the night; sometimes until the faint blush of sunlight brushed against his skin would he still be up - studying or researching. Al hated it, but Edward didn't mind as long as he got to sleep afterward.

Which he usually didn't, since the brothers had been constantly on the move for the last four years.

And now he was going to school...

He was _not_ a morning person, and it showed; what with the way his eyes were practically blazing as he glared down at his uniform he was supposed to be putting on. He had on his white button-down shirt, trademark black-and-red-combat boots and white gloves, and his obnoxiously green pants being held up by his usual thick leather belt. The one thing Edward was dreading was the blazer. It was not exactly in line with how he liked to dress, and all the light colors were probably going to end up stained with oil, grease, and rust-residue from his metal arm and leg by the end of the day.

He hoped the school wasn't _too_ strict with dress-codes, as the things he was wearing that weren't part of the uniform would be considered by anyone in his own world to be _"gaudy."_

_'Tch.'_

Why couldn't there be more _black??_

Edward also wished his pocket watch hadn't broken. He felt... oddly light without it.

He'd definitely have to buy a new one at some point. Well... once he figured out how to obtain some of this world's money, anyway. But that was another problem for another day; of which he unfortunately probably had many before him.

//||\\\

It took around ten minutes, but Edward finally gave the tied tie a small tug, pleased to see it held its shape and stayed relatively tight and tied-up. Lieutenant Hawkeye had attempted to teach him to tie a tie pretty recently, but the young, recalcitrant boy had not really paid her any attention. 

He usually did, as he liked stern, no-nonsense Hawkeye quite a bit; but it just-so-happened that it was the first time he had met her dog, Black Hayate. The animal had held his attention far more and better than any human ever could. Besides Al and Winry, and Rosé maybe. Or - he involuntarily shivered - Izumi.

Though, now that Edward was thinking about it, he may have absorbed a little more then he had initially thought - if judging by the decent tie that was strapped under his collar. Sure, it was tight, uncomfortable, and made him feel like a dog, but Edward was used to feeling like a dog.

 _'Damn, I have a thing with dogs, huh?'_ He thought wryly; a small, amused smirk dancing on his lips.

Ah well. He'd just have to suck it up for a while. At least it wasn't the military uniform his good-for-nothing superior had forced him into on quite a few occasions. That was always _way_ too big and cumbersome for Edward's liking.

It was _definitely not_ because they didn't make them in his size, as Mustang often got at whenever Edward had to wear it.

Redirecting his thoughts back to the tie, Edward stared down at it in mild satisfaction. He felt like he had just conquered something. He really liked red, so the color of the tie was nice. It was a badass color that got the blood pumping, in Edward's opinion. That's why he wore it practically everywhere.

The alchemist got to his feet with a stretch, his arms straightening towards the ceiling and his fingers flexing. His stomach growled as he tensed his muscles, but he didn't throw anything up. If he could get through the day without throwing up, then he would have a little more peace of mind; he decided. He looked at the time that was displayed on Recovery Girl's computer.

8:35 AM.

_'Wait...'_

He peered closer at the analog-style numbers that were in the corner of the odd glowing rectangle. His eyes widened in shock and he whipped around, grabbing his wrinkled blazer from the ground and shoving his arms into it; muttering a string of curses at himself and his idiocy.

Only five minutes to class, and he still had to _find_ the damn place first.

What a _GREAT_ way to start his first official day in a new world.

The golden-haired alchemist - who had taken a shower the night before; his hair shining, detangled, and smooth again and his body relieved of dust and goo - didn't bother with the jacket's buttons, and instead reached for his dark-red hair tie that was sitting on the nurse's desk. He hastily pulled his hair back into a simple, low-hanging ponytail and ran to the door.

8:40 AM.

Edward wrenched it open, still cursing under his breath as he ran through the quiet, recently-cleared hallways.

Classes had just started -if signified by the telltale school bell- so the hallways were abandoned. He was almost grateful since that meant he could run through the halls at full speed; his boots loudly stomping and echoing unevenly on the clean linoleum flooring. He just had to find the sign that marked Class 1-A, and hopefully, the teacher would cut him a little slack.

It was _so weird_ being worried about such trivial things again after so long...

//||\\\

"Finally..." Edward muttered to himself in irritation, looking up at the clear, shining sign above doors to a classroom he had just sprinted to. Class 1-A. This was it, then. The boy sighed slightly and rubbed his eyes. Despite getting a full night of sleep, he felt drained. His dreams had been wild and frightening; as they usually were. It was honestly part of the reason he stayed up so late all the time.

When you've seen as much shit as the Fullmetal Alchemist, your dreams wouldn't be very pleasant either.

The alchemist shook his head and stuffed his gloved hands into his pockets as he stared at the door; almost as if he thought if he stared at it with enough intensity, it would just become another gateway back to his world and he didn't have to do any of this ridiculous school shit.

But the sliding door in front of him was not an alchemical gateway, no matter how much he wished it were.

With another small sigh, Edward inhaled and slid the door open with fervor and purpose. No high school was going to daunt a state alchemist, no matter what whack-job world it was in!

The small boy walked in with his head held high, hands in his pockets, and his ponytail snapping behind him - realizing he had just interrupted a man who was standing behind a podium at the front of the room. The man had long, unruly black hair, baggy eyes that said all he wanted to do was sleep, a pale complexion, and a goatee around his mouth; which was twisted in an irritated frown. His eyebrow twitched as he looked at the alchemist in question.

Edward kept his gaze locked firmly upon the man who he assumed to be the teacher. In truth, if he looked away and at the crowd of students who were no doubt gawking at him, he'd probably just turn and leave. The alchemist could already hear a few curious whispers and one gasp of recognition from the peanut gallery back there. Edward swallowed his pride, grit his teeth and turned his mouth up into a sheepish smile to stop himself from commenting on the curious scarf that was piled around the teacher's shoulders.

"Hello... I'm sorry for being late. I was told to come to Class 1-A? I'm the... exchange student." He used the excuse he and Nezu had come up with at the door the night prior, and feigned politeness; despite the teacher probably having already been filled in on Edward's situation. The teacher looked like a man who didn't take any shit and would feel no remorse at immediately expelling a rude new student. Edward could appreciate that, at least. At least this guy wasn't an old pushover like all his old ones had been. Edward had never really been very kind to authority figures, especially the old, smartass teachers who demanded his undying respect but, in his opinion, didn't deserve any of it.

"Ah, right. I was just telling the class about that. We were wondering where you were." His voice was monotone and disinterested, but Edward picked up on a slight hint of disdain and something that sounded like poorly-disguised reprimanding. Main, this guy really didn't want to be here. The boy nodded.

"Yeah, I got lost in the halls on my way here." He came up with an excuse, not wanting to admit that he had just taken too long tying his damn tie. The alchemist shifted uncomfortably on his feet under the man's cold, calculating stare. His stomach was churning from the run, and he prayed whatever was in there would stay down until he went back to the nurse's office later.

After a few more moments that felt like an eternity, the man nodded, motioning for Edward to face the class with a careless hand. The whispers stopped.

 _"As I was saying,_ we have a new exchange student here today so he can be tested and put where he belongs." Edward turned slightly to face the students sitting in the rows of desks in front of him as the teacher talked. He had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating or something.

But he still wasn't entirely sure.

Barely anything in this goddamn room made any logical sense.

You had your normal-looking-though-kind-of-eccentric kids like a girl with a big black ponytail, a blonde boy with spiked hair, Izuku; who Edward instantly recognized as the one who gasped, and a few others that didn't seem remarkable but were a little odd. Like the girl with brown hair and like, _neon_ pink cheeks. Or a boy with glasses and dark blue/purple hair. Maybe also the dude with the hair that had split color down the middle and a large scar-like marking that marred an eye. There were others like that too. That was all fine. Edward could explain those kids away.

But then there was so much else _wrong._

Like a girl who was entirely pink with big, black eyes and curled cream-colored horns poking from her head, a boy who looks like his skin was made of jagged stone, some emo-looking girl with weird, flesh-like strings coming from what he assumed were her ears, a dude with a _hawk head_ , and a tiny little boy with what looked like _grapes_ for fucking hair. Again, there were quite a few others like this.

Was it his imagination, or was there just a floating girl's uniform sitting at one desk?

 _'Holy mother of shit, what kind of world IS this?!'_ He thought to himself, swallowing a rising tide of panic and fighting to keep his face neutral and disinterested. 

During his... _observations;_ Edward had completely missed whatever the teacher had been saying. Apparently, he had asked the alchemist to do or say something because he was glaring at him rather pointedly. 

Edward rubbed the back of his head, still fighting an internal battle with himself. "Sorry, can you say that again? I was... looking around." He stuttered his 'sorry.'

His mind, which had been raised and hardened with science and fact and logic, could not explain anything that he was seeing right now, and was trying to catch up with itself. It kept coming back to chimeras or alchemical accidents, which he knows is not how anything worked here. Principal Nezu had explained that weird appearances were really common in their society and had to do with quirks or genetics, but Edward hadn't thought he meant like _this!_

Though the teacher's glare was stern and annoyed, Edward could also decipher understanding in the black depths of his irises. The man heaved a sigh. The alchemist was still staring at the class as the teacher began to speak. 

"I asked you if you could _quickly_ introduce yourself. Your name, quirk, that kind of thing." Edward nodded, re-stuffing the hand behind his head tightly in his pocket - which was where he kept his hands so he could clench them into fists unnoticed.

"Right," the boy began, inhaling quietly. He glared at the spiky-haired boy on the far left side of the room, who had let out a _'tch.'_ Edward could already guess what kind of person he was.

He cleared his throat softly. "I'm Edward Elric, but _please_ just call me Ed. I hate it when people call me Edward. Uh, I'm from a hero academy in America and came to Japan to learn here at U.A. thanks to the... uh... exchange program. My quirk is called 'Equivalent Exchange.'" A sly smirk that was chock-full of confidence suddenly toyed with his recently-scarred lips for the second time that day.

"My hero name is Fullmetal."

//||\\\

Izuku was nothing short of surprised when he recognized the small, golden-haired Edward as the new student who had walked into the room ten fashionable minutes late; not able to stifle the audible gasp of recognition he had released. The teen's golden gaze had flitted towards Izuku for a brief second, and he knew that Edward recognized him too. The boy looked cleaner, healthier, and more full of life then what the green-haired teen had seen of him the day prior. It filled him with a sense of relief as he sat there, listening to Mr. Aizawa talk about the new boy.

Edward was described as _'the new exchange student,'_ and Izuku - the analytical type - was a little confused on that. He hadn't said anything about being a transfer or exchanged to get into U.A. But then again - Izuku remembered - he didn't say anything that denied that fact either. Just that he was _'heading to U.A. High.'_

 _'What a welcome.'_ He thought bitterly to himself, thinking of the state he, Mirio, and Eri had found him in.

Regardless, Izuku was intrigued by Edward and was excited to have a new student to examine and take notes on. He was trying to learn about all kinds of different quirks, so he hoped that the new teen stayed in 1-A just in case he had something else that was interesting about him.

Edward introduced himself rather humbly, but Izuku took note of his demeanor; which seemed to radiate self-assurance and command attention and respect from everyone, even with all the unsure pauses and _'ums'_ that were littered throughout his sentences.

Something else struck Izuku as off about the teen though. Edward didn't exactly seem like an unsure, nervous guy if judging by the way he presented himself, but his eyes were full of what looked like full-blown panic and confusion. (With the exception of a particularly nasty glare at Bakugou.) What was he so afraid of? Was his stomach problem still not fixed? Izuku doubted that. Recovery Girl worked like she had magic. He'd had broken bones mend in less than a day thanks to her quirk. A _lot_ of broken bones.

Izuku watched as Edward's face melted from tense, fearful politeness to a confident, sly smile that it looked like it fit his face with ease. The fear in his eyes had practically vanished. It was like he finally slipped into himself and got a little more comfortable with his words.

He gave his hero name and glanced back up at Mr. Aizawa with a raised eyebrow, who started talking to the student in return.

Maybe he wasn't so humble after all...

At the temporary distraction of Mr. Aizawa, the room erupted into murmurs and whispers again.

In front of Izuku, Bakugou gave a small snort, and he could hear Kaminari whispering with Jirou a few seats down.

"He seems so full of himself. Look at his face."

"I thought he looked scared."

"You think so?"

"Yeah."

"I still think he might be like Bakugou. What would we do then?"

Izuku heard Jirou's low groan in response. While he looked up to Bakugou, Izuku could admit that he wouldn't want two of them running around the class. That would be utterly terrifying.

Mineta was snickering quietly behind him.

"He's never going to get any ladies if he always smirks like that, but he's got the rest of the bad boy look down! He seems to know what the girls want. My type of guy. What do you think, Midoryia?" The kid's hand was rubbing his chin in thought. He looked speculative. Izuku hated it when he looked speculative. It never meant any good. Most often for the girls of the class, who had to suffer through his twisted pervertedness. Izuku looked behind him and shrugged slightly.

"It doesn't really matter, I don't think." The freckled teen replied, trying to sound friendly. Mineta shook his head.

"Amateur mistake. It _always_ matters." He replied, being stopped from saying more by a stern slap to the back of his head by Yaoyorozu. Izuku had to resist the urge to roll his eyes and instead let out a small chuckle. The girl stared past Izuku, training her steely gaze onto Edward - who was still engaged in conversation with Mr. Aizawa. She sighed slightly.

"I think everyone's just being inconsiderate. He seems intelligent and more than deserving of a warm welcome." She commented, finally looking at Izuku, who just realized she was addressing him. He got what she meant though. There was an air of knowledge that surrounded the boy; an intelligent, inquisitive gleam in his flaxen eyes. The freckled teen nodded in agreement.

Before he could respond, however, Mr. Aizawa called for silence. The room quieted immediately; turning their attention back to the front of the room. Izuku looked around, expecting to see a head of gold; but there wasn't one in sight. Everyone else was looking around as well, trying to spot the new student from their desks. The black-haired man upfront just patiently stayed quiet, drumming his fingers on the podium in boredom.

"Where is he?" Uraraka asked from the back of the classroom, looking confused. In front of her, Iida let out a huff, adjusting his glasses.

"Late AND skipping class! I hope his behavior improves this year! Why, he's practically a delinquent! Did anyone SEE his uniform?!" He exclaimed, a disapproving frown set on his face. Izuku chuckled again, the rest of the class groaning. Typical Iida.

Not even a minute later, the door slid open again, angry grunts and loud footsteps sounding from outside the classroom. Edward backed fully into the room, carrying a spare desk in his arms. 

Izuku realized what Edward and Mr. Aizawa must have been talking about.

Seating arrangements.

Everyone watched as the boy heaved the desk through the space between students, and dropped it down with a ' _bang!'_ between Yaoyorozu and the wall. She had to scoot a little to make room for him. He sighed and walked back out of the classroom to grab a chair that he had dragged down the hall with the desk. Izuku watched, not sure if he should've offered help or not. Edward seemed like the kind of person who would be offended if he was offered help; kind of like Bakugou, so Izuku and everyone else in the class had kept their mouths shut as he dropped the chair behind the desk and flopped into it with a huff.

Izuku looked back at him, and he met his gaze, giving Izuku a small, half-hearted smile from the back corner of the room. The green-haired boy smiled back, and turned his attention back onto Mr. Aizawa, who had cocooned himself into his bright yellow sleeping bag.

"What the fuck...?" Izuku heard a quiet, confused mutter from Edward behind him and Mineta and had to stifle a laugh. That was how everyone felt when they saw him do that for the first time at the beginning of that school year.

"Alright. Today you're going to be having a surprise examination to--" his disinterested words were drowned out by exclamations of surprise and protest. Nobody liked pop - quizzes or surprise tests!! Izuku sighed and let his head rest on his elbows as Aizawa quieted the class down again.

"It will be a _practical_ examination; mainly for the sake of our new student to test into a class, but it's a good opportunity for me to see how your quirks have progressed recently." he explained. Everyone lightened considerably at the mention that it would be a practical examination. No studying was necessary for those. Izuku glanced back at Edward again, who looked confused. Did he not know what a practical examination meant? Maybe they called it something different in America.

As everyone stood to go change into their gym uniforms, Izuku walked the few feet to Edward, who was pushing in his chair.

"Um... hey Ed." Izuku greeted the other teen, who looked apprehensive.

"Hey. So... just to be clear, he meant practical examination like a _fight,_ right?" Edward asked as the two walked towards the door. Izuku nodded.

"Yeah. We do them every-so-often to test our growing fighting capabilities and to see where we can improve quirk-wise. It's usually one-on-one fights that are randomly selected by Mr. Aizawa." The boy explained, Edward nodding in understanding. Izuku tilted his head.

"Do you not do those at your old school?" Edward looked surprised at the question Izuku asked, and seemed to hesitate for a bit before nodding.

"We do, we just call them something different, so I was a little confused."

"Ah, got it. Well I'm excited to see what your quirk can do, with a name like 'Equivalent Exchange.'" Izuku added eagerly, earning him an amused glanced from the shorter boy as they reached the door. Honestly, Izuku was more then surprised at the way the conversation was turning out. Edward seemed to be a lot nicer than his overly-confident swagger suggested. Before Edward could even open his mouth to respond, the two were intercepted by Iida and Uraraka; the latter waving cheerily at Edward and Izuku as they approached, and Iida looking thoughtful. Izuku waved back at the brown-haired girl with a smile. His heart fluttered a bit too, but it was ignorable.

"Hey guys! Sorry I took a bit, I was answering some questions for Ed." The boy greeted his friends, the two turning to an uncomfortable-looking Edward standing beside him. It seemed Iida's delinquent comment had not gone unheard. (Not too much of a surprise - Izuku noted - as he had practically shouted it.) Iida outstretched a firm hand, giving the new student a sheepish grin.

"I apologize for my earlier statement about your delinquency. I thought you were skipping class." The blue-haired teen apologized. "Tenya Iida. Nice to meet you, Edward." He greeted him as Edward grasped his hand, giving him a firm handshake. Izuku didn't notice how Edward had sighed slightly at the use of his full name, but he had smiled back anyhow.

"It's fine. I got lost trying to find the room with the spare desks. I hope this isn't a theme for me." he admitted with a chuckle, looking much more relaxed as he let go of Iida's hand and stuffed it back into his pocket. Uraraka beamed at him; being her usual welcoming, cheery self.

"I'm Ochako Uraraka!" She exclaimed with her fierce smile

Edward waved at her slightly, looking... wistful? Maybe she reminded him of someone back home. The four heroes-in-training stood around talking for a few more minutes, discussing quirks. 

The new student didn't really contribute much to the conversation, but he looked like he was basking in all the information as they shared what theirs could do.

Izuku looked up at the clock, glancing at the others. The classroom was emptied now besides the four of them. The exam would be starting soon, and Izuku wanted plenty of time to prepare, so he turned and beckoned for them to follow him out of the classroom.

"Oh, we should probably get going." He said as he turned. The boy slid open the door and they all walked out and down the halls, ready to kick some ass.

//||\\\

_The cave far off from Tokyo; deep in the wilderness; rumbled with great ferocity as the great green, scaled beast inside awoke from its fitful slumber. Its slanted purple eyes were alight with fresh malice and a thirst for revenge._

_Though it would not leave just yet._

_It had to figure out where it was and what it was going to do._

_The only thing it knew was that it had to find Hohenheim and his bastard son._

_How? was the problem_

_This would require precision and strategy; which the beast fortunately excelled at._

_It swung its massive emerald head towards the opening of the cave, looking outside at the late morning sunlight that dappled the grass beneath some trees._

_"Soon..." It hissed to itself._

**_"Soon... Edward Elric."_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted a little bit later tonight than I thought, but I hope it's good! Writing student's reactions is a little tricky, but it's pretty fun!
> 
> I do not own either FMA or BNHA, and all rights to the characters and the universes belong to the creators!


	11. Students and a Soldier

It was abnormally hot outside for the time of year it was. The sun, though partially covered by thin wisps of clouds, beat down on the students of Class 1-A as they gathered at the dusty field of the outdoor P.E. Grounds. With blue gym uniforms on and knuckles cracking, the heroes-in-training stretched and got ready for the practical examination ahead. Even with these unfavorable conditions, everyone loved a good practical exam. It was fun, seeing who you would be paired with to fight against and stretch your quirk's limits to the max. 

Edward had done a fair few practical examinations in his life; ranging from the yearly State Alchemist exams to spars between soldiers before deployment. He _LOVED_ them. The little alchemist was a born fighter; his muscle, stamina, and stubbornness making a pretty formidable - if unconventional - foe to face. He excelled at hand-to-hand combat, which was how he usually fought and was where his alchemy shone. Right in your face and in the thick of things. Even against skilled, adult alchemists, Edward could hold his own and often come out on top. He was proud of it since he had worked really hard for such a long time to become so unusually skilled for a sixteen-year-old; and not a lot of people were ever happy to get on his bad side. And when they did, they usually came out pretty worse for wear. 

He had stabbed a homunculus and _killed_ him with the somewhat-intent to do so. If that didn't deem him as a smart, quick-thinking fighter than Edward didn't know what did. Though it still hurt to think about.

But for the first time in quite a long time, Edward walked onto that field feeling... _apprehensive._

_Nervous._

While Edward had had _MANY_ close calls and tense fights over the years, it was usually with pride and a hot head that he entered his battles. The teen was a man of action. Act first, ask questions later. This attitude tended to get him into _quite_ a bit of trouble, but Al or sometimes even Mustang was usually there to have his back.

But now Edward was going into a fight alone. Against someone his own age, skill level, and experience. Maybe more. Plus, he still didn't exactly know how people used their quirks, even if Nezu explained it pretty thoroughly. It was unnatural and Edward was still having quite a tough time believing they even existed. Though deep down he knew they did, and had been proved to him quite a few times.

If they worked how everyone had been talking about them - as weapons - than Edward was already at a disadvantage. People talked about quirks like they were different for every person, which they might as well be. That made things difficult when he'd only been here maybe a day and a half. The entire walk down here, he had talked with Izuku, Ochako, and Tenya about quirks, asking a few questions that wouldn't make him seem _too_ uninformed. 

Edward was really regretting not asking more. He had no idea what people were going to use, and it seemed he was probably going to be in for a nasty surprise; if the little sparks bouncing around the spiky-haired boy's hands said anything. 

The alchemist was standing off to the side, away from the students by a few feet so he could mutter and think to himself without being disturbed. The only side-effect was a few confused glances being sent his way.

If he wanted to conceal his automail for the time being, than his usual method of an arm blade was out of the picture. That was yet another blow to his fighting style and strategy. He usually used the blade as a durable, quick-wielding weapon to easily nab the upper hand in a fight. But Edward had already deemed it better if people didn't know about his automail quite yet. Especially since this was a world with _"villains"_ who targeted heroes such as the very people he was currently surrounding himself with. The sleeves of his gym tracksuit-esque uniform were luckily thick enough to conceal the feel of steel beneath the fabric, but that came with no relief from the heat, which was already sending sweat down his back and making his hair wet.

Long story short, Edward was not exactly looking forwards to this.

_At all._

So when the black-haired man, followed closely by All Might, - whom he recognized easily - walked up to the front of the group, Edward felt his stomach drop.

One thing was for sure. He wanted to stay in 1-A. The alchemist knew a person in here, and that would hopefully prove to be useful to his soon-be-started research if he stayed. This test, after all, was assigned mainly because they needed to place him in a class where he belonged. If he got his ass handed to him, then his best guess would be one of the lowest hero courses at _best._

But one thing everyone said about Edward Elric was that he never backed down from a challenge; no matter how redundant or unnecessary.

He would've liked to think things through a little more, but the start of the opponent selecting had begun, the black-haired teacher just lazily pointing at students and pairing them together. All Might looked nothing short of exasperated, but didn't say anything. Instead, the skinny man turned his gaze onto Edward with a reassuring smile and a small thumbs-up. 

Edward decided right then that he really liked All Might. Despite his... over-confidence? Flightiness? The alchemist smiled back, knowing his face _definitely_ looked pretty pale right now. 

Wait.

Would the gateway goo get in the way of his fighting? What if his stomach couldn't handle it and decided to spill its contents on the battlefield? Sure, it would be slightly embarrassing, but it would also cut his exam short. Maybe deduct points in the process; if they even used a points system. 

However, Edward was once again cut away from his rapid thoughts as a finger pointed at his chest. 

"Elric and Yaoyorozu." The teacher's monotone voice announced, then moved on to the next pair.

Now Edward was wondering something completely different, turning his head to scan the clump of blue-clad students.

_Who was Yaoyorozu again?_

The names in this world were so hard to remember; if he even asked them their name at all. _Shit._

Then, as he was turning back to watch the teachers, the tall girl with the black ponytail and steely eyes met his gaze with a small nod. He blinked, recognizing her as the girl who sat next to him in class. He nodded back, stuffing his gloved hands in the pockets of the uniform. Edward had half a mind to find Izuku and ask him what her quirk was, but the boy was sitting down, scribbling in a notebook with determined mutters. The alchemist decided to let him be and just take his chances. He knew how much _he_ would've hated to be distracted from that level of focus.

"Alright. First up will be Kirishima and Mineta. If you win, you pass. Simple." The teacher announced, backing away from the field. The rest of the students quieted down as a red-haired boy with spiked teeth and the really small kid who sat in front of Edward walked onto the field. The red-haired guy looked... cocky? And the grape kid looked downright terrified. This didn't seem like a very equal match-up in Edward's eyes. 

But hey, what did he know?

Edward watched, absolutely mystified and captivated as the red-haired boy's skin seemed to harden, jutting out in rock-like spikes and grooves. It was possibly one of the freakiest things Edward had seen. Again, that was saying a _lot._ The tiny kid grabbed two of the grape-looking balls from his head, and they seemed to just sprout up again. It was odd, and the alchemist wasn't entirely sure that that was going to do against a punch of hardened skin. He noticed the little one was trembling a little.

Now he knew why nobody had made a jab at his height yet.

With a puff of dust, the red dude (whom he assumed was Kirishima, due to the mutters Izuku was spouting from behind) ran straight for Mineta. The little boy threw the purple balls from his hand with a grunt, the things sticking to the surface of the attacker's uniform. But he didn't stop running, now swerving a little as he got closer to Mineta.

The fight was on.

//||\\\

The fight was over in a matter of minutes. As Edward had predicted, Kirishima came out on top, easily beating on Mineta with only the kid's sticky hair-things in the way. The rest of the fights happened before Edward's, taking a much longer time than he had thought they would. A lot of the class seemed to be pretty evenly matched, which made some fights drag on. The fight between Bakugou and Todoroki had taken maybe thirty uninterrupted minutes. It was late afternoon now, and it was still sweltering. Edward's uniform felt completely soaked through by the time the final fight before his was to take place. 

The alchemist assumed they were going last because his test actually meant something more than a passing grade.

He quickly ran the previous fights through his head.

Kirishima and Mineta - Mineta's quirk couldn't really do anything against Kirishima's, though it did slow him down a bit.

Winner: Kirishima.

Koda and Aoyama - Though the latter's quirk was a powerful laser from his stomach, it seemed he couldn't do more than his limits, so Koda's quietly summoned animals easily overtook him in the end, a huge bunch of squirrels having dragged Aoyama to the ground. The rock-like boy was way quicker than he appeared.

Winner: Koda.

Sato and Mina - It was brute strength versus speed in this fight. It seemed Sato's cupcakes (which had painfully reminded Edward that he hadn't eaten anything since he had gotten to this word) he had brought to the field made him stronger and a more powerful fighter and Mina had some sort of thick, corrosive liquid for her quirk, which she ducked and weaved and skated on. Once Sato's quirk wore off, Mina easily knocked him off his own feet by melting the ground under him.

Winner: Mina.

Shoji and Ojiro - This fight was... hard to watch because this fight took forty _fucking_ minutes. Ojiro seemed to be a master of martial arts, and used his tail as a bat against Shoji's incredible strength and boosted senses, due to the lips, ears, and eyes forming on the ends of his six wing-like arms. Ultimately, with a leap and a hard smack to the back of a head by a muscled tail, Shoji fell and Ojiro won.

Winner: Ojiro.

Tsuyu and Iida - This duo was an interesting one, Edward would say that at least. However, Tsuyu reminded him the most out of anyone (except for Tokoyami) in this class of the human/animal fuses that created chimeras; what with her frog quirk. The fight was pretty quick, but intense. Iida had little engines in the back of his calves (which Edward did NOT notice when they had been talking in the halls) and Tsuyu was just... a frog. They sped around each other, hopping, skipping, and leaping in twists and bounds with occasional punches and trips. At the end of the fight, Tsuyu had stuck her long tongue into one of the exhaust pipes on Iida's leg, halting him for a brief moment before taking the win.

Winner: Tsuyu

Bakugou and Todoroki - These two were the strongest fighters in the class. Edward could tell that almost immediately as they activated their quirks. It was a battle of pure demolition; explosions, glaciers, and plumes of flames erupting from places unknown, as the fighters were blocked with smoke and ice. Edward saw Bakugou once soaring through the air, propelling himself forwards with little explosions, only to be shot at by flames from below. The fire was oddly Mustang-like, though it lacked the trademark snapping noise that accompanied it - and that made Edward unexpectedly sad, happy, and angry at the same time. With a massive explosion from above that pushed Edward off his feet, Bakugou had knocked Todoroki from fighting stance, and it was over from there.

Winner: Bakugou.

Izuku and Sero - This matchup was, in Edward's opinion, one of the more unbalanced ones throughout the afternoon. Izuku was _fast_ , ducking and dodging, spinning, and flying through the air against Sero's tape-like adhesive that shot from his elbows. While Sero did manage to tie down Izuku a few times, it never lasted long. The blue-green energy crackling around Izuku displayed immense internal power that was boosting his abilities tremendously. Sero was also fast, but Izuku was faster. Izuku also seemed to predict what Sero was going to do before he even did it, seeming very knowledgeable about the way his opponent fought. Edward knew now to be wary of the freckled teen if he ever got on his bad side. Izuku got a few good punches in, and the fight was over.

Winner: Izuku.

Tokoyami and Uraraka - Once again, to Edward, this was a pretty unbalanced fight. The hawk-headed Tokoyami, who was categorized with Tsuyu in Edward's mind, had a shadow-like quirk that seemed to be its own sentient entity. Uraraka, provided with a ton of materials from the destruction of previous fights, was able to make many objects float. Even herself. She shot rocks, flew over, ran, ducked, made hastily put-together rock shields, but Dark Shadow was more powerful, even in the daylight.

Winner: Tokoyami.

Toru and Kaminari - This fight confused Edward quite a bit. It was such a trip when Kaminari had walked onto the field, facing off against a floating gym uniform. With his electric quirk, he made for a strong opponent, but the invisible girl was quick, and ran around until the electricity seemed to make Kaminari loopy and in a state where he wasn't even capable of forming proper speech. He had been impulsive and cocky, and he had paid for it with a knee to his nose, knocking him from the fight.

Winner: Toru.

Jiro and... Aizawa - Edward felt nothing but bad for the girl fighting their teacher. Since he himself made an odd number of students, that meant one wouldn't get a partner. That unlucky soul happened to be the girl with the flesh strings on her ears. Though he seemed to go easy on her a little, he and his weird scarf overwhelmed her easily. Jiro seemed like a capable fighter and seemed to be able to listen to the ground when she stuck the flesh strings in, but she was no match for the grown pro hero.

Winner: Aizawa. (Though she'll probably still get credit due to the fact that she held on for as long as she did.)

And now... Edward versus Yaoyorozu. The other students seemed to call her Momo, so he assumed that was her first name. The alchemist shook his head to clear it and walked onto the demolished field in front of the girl. He faced her, taking his hands from his pockets and sinking into his usual fighting stance; knees bent, hands raised to clap if needed, and a determined frown plastered on his face. Going into that familiar position was comforting and grounding, and he stared at her, willing her to make the first move. This field held all the resources an alchemist like him could ever want; littered with debris, rocks, and soil from the earlier fights. Edward just hoped that he had a chance to quickly transmute.

To his surprise, she unzipped the shirt to her uniform, letting it dangle to her sides. She then proceeded to pull out a sparkling metal pole from her midsection. He was astonished. It was like alchemy; like the opposite of what he had seen from little homunculus Wrath. Like how Wrath had fused his limbs with materials, she pulled them out. It was fascinating. Nezu had told him about drawbacks, so he wondered how much that took from her. 

Shaking his head like a dog, his golden ponytail slapping the sides of his face, he refocused on the task at hand. Without a word, he clapped his hands together, dropped into a one-legged kneel, and slapped his palms onto the ground. Bright blue light flashed and crackled around him as he drew a spear from the crumbled stone that had been under the soil, standing up and wielding it with a small _clank._ The stone Edward had taken the spear from now had a gap in the middle.

He had heard a few gasps and quite a few mutters and exclamations from the gathered students to the side, but he ignored them, his heart beating at a rapid pace. The fluttery feeling he got before a fight was a familiar and not entirely unwelcome feeling. 

The buzz of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

It had only been a day and a half since the gate spit him out, and he already missed this kind of thrill.

No matter how much he tried to deny it, Edward did somewhat have the mind of a soldier. Well, a state alchemist. Really only a state alchemist could love fighting as much as he did. One thing Edward did hold himself back from, however, was taking another life. He never felt as if he should make that judgment, and he always tried to fight for reasons he thought were right.

Momo was still staring at him from her side of the field, wielding her own weapon with a small smile.

"I'm going to try my best." She promised with a slight dip of her head. It sounded as if she did this before every fight. Like these words were practiced over and over again. Edward had to respect that.

"Likewise." He agreed, ready to just get this show on the road.

While he hadn't fought many girls, and the few encounters with fighting them had left him... uncomfortable at best, he wasn't opposed to it, and wasn't going to hold back. Though while fighting a girl back in his own world would have been seen as _"barbaric,"_ it seemed normal here, which was nice. The only thing he wasn't sure about was fighting her with her shirt open. 

At his response, she crouched, mimicking his stance. He let out a small breath, practically drowning in the feeling of tension that had suddenly gripped the class. His worried, slightly uneasy thoughts eased instantly, and he gave her a small nod.

//||\\\

After a brief, silent moment of his determined gaze meeting her calculating one, she pushed forwards with startling agility, wielding the sword above her head in preparation to strike. He stayed put until she got to him, baiting her in for close-quarter combat. She ran to him and swung her sword not down, but to the side; aiming for the side his head. He parried with his right arm, bringing his own spear up to swing at her side. Momo blocked the spear with her weapon, opening herself up. He swung his opposite (right) foot up onto her side, sending her leaping back with a curse as it connected with her ribcage. 

Now they were facing each other again, sizing each other up. Their abilities were startlingly similar, and it took all of Edward's restraint not to just charge back in again. He had to be smart about this. 

He dropped his spear defensively in front of him as she ran at him from the side, swinging her sword at his head. He ducked and jabbed his spear straight out for her stomach. She blocked it with the tool of metal and managed to get a kick into his shoulder, sending him tumbling backward with a pained grunt. He turned his tumble into a backward somersault, the spear laying dropped a few feet away as he pushed to his feet and ran back at her, clapping his hands together. Momo met him again in the middle, her sword set defensively as Edward aimed a punch up into her solar plexus. Instead of following through with the punch as she had predicted, he smirked a little and grasped the blade she had brought up to defend her from his punch with his metal hand; blue light crackled around the two as it molded into a long, thin pole and shrunk away from her hands and redirected itself into his own; swinging it at her head. 

She blinked in surprise and dropped to a nimble crouch, sweeping a foot out to knock Edward's feet from below him. He danced out of her way and jumped back a few feet to catch his breath, watching as she procured another pole from her stomach in one smooth motion and held it like he was - straight out in front of him like a battering ram. 

Cheers and shouts echoed from the group to the side of them, but neither paid any attention, too busy predicting movements and strategies. This was no balls-to-the-wall demolition quirk-fest like a lot of the other fights had been. This was a complicated dance of wit.

Both knew the steps all too well.

This time, it was Edward who ran at Momo. She grit her teeth and aimed a kick to his head as he approached her. The alchemist ducked and slid baseball-style beneath her legs, turning around with agility even she couldn't match. Her kick, which had followed through into thin air and slammed back onto the dirt, had left her unbalanced and his juke had left her shocked. He dropped his weapon, clapped his hands together, and dropped to his knees as she whipped around to face him. He slammed his palms quickly onto the ground, causing it to ripple beneath them. The alchemist was aiming to trap her in the material, ending the fight quickly. It shot up at her, and she got away with a hasty back handspring. Edward swore as she ran at him again, transmuting spikes to shoot in a trail out of the ground to stop her in her tracks. 

As Momo ran, she pulled a little shield from her midsection, causing the spikes to crumble on impact. She neared him and threw the pole towards his crouched form. He constructed a quick wall, blocking the pole and sending it clattering to the ground below. With a swift movement, he jumped to his feet and kicked the wall with a thick combat boot, knocking it over with a _CRASH_. He could hear a curse and hurried, scrambling footsteps from the other side to avoid the falling structure of dirt and stone. 

As the dust settled, Edward could make out Momo crouched beneath her raised shield, bits of the wall having dented the metallic surface and dark blood dripping down her cheek from a scrape. They met each other's eyes again, both minds thinking and processing. 

_Her shield is small, unlike her weapons. That must mean she's reaching her limits. Or maybe bigger things take more time, like in alchemy.'_

It seemed they were near equals on the battlefield. 

Edward's blood roared in his ears and the thrill of the fight hummed in his muscles as she got to her feet, pole and shield clutched in each hand. He clapped and drew another spear from the ground around him with a flash of brilliant blue. 

However, before either could make another move, as the alchemical energy faded from his limbs, he felt a horrible sensation creeping up his throat. The feeling seemed to melt together with the buzz of the alchemy, fading from power to sickness in a matter of seconds. 

He choked, clapping his gloved right hand over his mouth. He let out a shudder as he spluttered again, the thick goo from the Gate dripping from in between his fingers. The white cloth of his glove was soaking it in, the substance dripping onto his shoes and the soil beneath them. He hunched his shoulders, hearing pounding footsteps and feeling Momo's hand resting on his back. All Might and Aizawa were also by his side, and he could hear the rest of the class exclaiming in a mixture of concern and jeers.

It was all he could do to keep himself standing. Edward could _not_ afford to look weak here.

Momo bent down to meet his hunched gaze, goo still running from between his lips. He swore internally at the pity he could see shining in her grey eyes. Edward didn't want pity during a fight. Much less from his opponent. He wanted to actually _fight._

"Are you alright, Ed? Can you still fight?" she asked, her voice thick with worry and sympathy. The alchemist flinched at her tone. He hated sympathy. He got that all the time.

"Yeah, I'm--" Edward broke off from his response by another choke, but there was less goo spewing from that one. "I'm fine. Let's keep going. The fight isn't over." He rasped, dropping his hand to his side. A trail of goo ran from the corner of his mouth down his chin, but otherwise, he felt okay. It wasn't vomit so much as a... _discharge._ All Might blinked as Momo nodded in agreement.

"Young Edward, are you sure? You can test again la--" he began, but Edward cut him off with a frown, straightening his spine. Goo still dripped from his chin. "This fight isn't over." the alchemist repeated thickly, giving Momo a small nod. "It's just my... drawback." He hesitated, thinking of the drawbacks Nezu had told him about. Edward was sure it wasn't actually a drawback, as alchemy wasn't a quirk. It was a science. So he didn't worry too much about it. He waved the teachers off, and both of them retook their places; though All Might looked like he definitely didn't believe Edward. The alchemist couldn't blame him, as the teacher was in the nurse's office with him for so long. The calls and cheers were still sounding from the rest of the class, but Edward tuned them out in irritation.

Momo picked up her metal rod from the ground, and Edward picked his spear up as well. The goop still ran from his mouth, but he smiled at her. The expression was full of cunning and confidence. Momo returned it, though she looked a little more hesitant. A little more unsure of herself than Edward.

Both were filled with an unlikely amount of mutual respect. 

With a burst of speed, they ran at each other, meeting at the middle of the field, weapons raised. Edward swung first, bracing himself as Momo parried with her own pole, taking a hand off of her pole and aiming a quick punch to the side of his head. He jerked back and swept his left foot towards her shins to knock them out from under her, his pole raised above his head defensively. The stone was smeared with black from his dripping mouth and stained gloves and her metal was smeared with red from her dripping cheek and stained hands. With his arms raised, he realized too late he was open for an attack. Before his leg connected with Momo's, he felt a - _whack!_ \- smack against his side by an iron rod, and he stumbled back, falling onto the dirt with a loud _thud._

Edward hissed through his teeth and pushed himself upright as Momo descended upon him with a fist, looking triumphantly relieved. He slapped his hands together and slammed them into the ground, a pillar of Earth coming up and slamming into Momo. The girl coughed as the pillar jammed into her stomach pushed her a few feet back, looking surprised as Edward stood up, wiping the trail of goo from his lips. That transmutation felt like it took... a physical effort that time. It definitely felt weird, and the flow of the goo at his mouth had thickened, his gym uniform blotted with the stuff. Whatever it meant, it most definitely wasn't something good. 

Momo frowned and pulled a metal ball from her abdomen, hurling it with all of her strength at Edward, who realized not a moment too soon. He blinked in surprise and transmuted a pillar of Earth beneath his feet, rising maybe ten feet into the air. He felt the dull vibration as the ball impacted the surface. The alchemist looked down at Momo, who was hurling balls up at him. The sizes were getting increasingly smaller, and the throws weaker, but that didn't change the fact it was pure metal. She really was pushing herself to her limits. Edward could tell. With a deep breath and ducking around a flying ball, Edward knew he could win this fight right then. The teen coughed, splattering the surface of the pillar with the stuff after the transmutation that created it.

Despite his ailment, if Edward wanted to win this, he couldn't hesitate any longer.

Chest heaving, he pushed himself off the edge into a clumsy leap, aiming for Momo as he descended. He spread his knees and tackled the girl spread-eagle, pinning her arms down with them and placing his hands by her head, one ready to strike. 

Momo and Edward sat like that for a few moments, chests heaving with breath and a mixture of blood and goo staining the ground. She didn't even try to struggle, which Edward was glad about. His stomach was churning, and he wasn't sure if he could safely do any more transmutations right then. Each one had felt more physically draining than the last. It was worrying, thinking about losing his greatest skill. The alchemist shook his head sharply, sending glittering black droplets flying from his dusty face. With a small sigh, Momo finally broke the tense silence. 

Well, besides the shocked yells and congratulatory shouts that came from the damn peanut gallery.

"I concede." she breathed, looking defeated, yet pleased. Edward got off the girl, helping her up with a trembling hand.

"That was a great fight. I've never fought anyone like you before. You seemed to predict my movements." he admitted, his eyes glowing with triumph as he looked up at her, and his body still singing with the thrill of the fight that he had just won. She nodded with a thoughtful smile.

"Your fighting is also incredibly smart. I thought it was never going to end." she looked sheepish, rubbing the back of her head. Her dark, smoky hair had nearly all come lose during the scuffle. He grinned, the grin one-sided and cocky; stained black with the trail still leaking from between his teeth. All Might and Aizawa had finished talking with each other; which they had started doing as soon as Edward had pinned Momo to the ground, and looked at the two of them. Aizawa began to speak, his voice still monotone, but his eyes were... impressed?

"Elric, as the winner, we've decided you're fit to stay in 1-A with your current skills. You just beat a student who got in on recommendations." All Might nodded in agreement, making Edward's heart soar with hope and happiness; despite the goo and the bruises that were surely forming on his side and his shoulder.

"I agree." In a grand manner, the thin man spread out his arms with a smile. "Welcome to Hero Course Class 1-A, Young Edward!" He exclaimed. Edward grinned like a madman, the little spark of hope he had in his heart igniting into a bonfire. He was on his way to getting home...! He turned to Momo and peeled off his left glove, stretching out his hand with a thankful smile.

"Thank you for not holding back." He thanked her sincerely, too happy to worry too much about his pride. Momo hesitated, but smiled back and shook his hand. Their fight had only really taken maybe twenty minutes tops.

"I should say the same. You seemed like a guy who wouldn't like fighting women." She chuckled a little, and he laughed along with her.

"I don't have a problem with it, as you can see."

"That's good."

"Edward Elric. Ed." He properly introduced himself to her, feeling good about it since he wasn't in front of a whole class again. "Our... _quirks_ are really similar. It's good to meet someone else like me."

The girl nodded in agreement. "Momo Yaoyorozu. Nice to meet you Ed."

Edward let go of her hand, stuffing them in his dirty pockets again. She would definitely be great to get along with. The girl seemed smart and would be helpful with research. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to have another friend here. He had never really respected anyone his own age before, but Momo definitely earned it. Before he could say anything else, Izuku, Iida, and Uraraka ran up to him, firing questions about his quirk and Izuku fanboying about the hand-to-hand fighting he and Momo had been locked in. He even asked if he could observe it next time and take notes.

Though, upon a closer look, Edward noticed worry deep in his green eyes, his glance flicking back to the goo trail on Edward's face every few seconds.

"You were amazing Ed!! I've never seen anyone so evenly matched with Momo before!" Uraraka exclaimed, giving him a high five and completely disregarding the fact that she just got goo all over her hands. Iida nodded and began giving stern advice on posture and foot placement, which Edward was only half-listening to. The alchemist was looking at Izuku, who was looking at his feet.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, quirking up an eyebrow. "I'm the one with the damn bruise from an iron rod on my ribs."

Izuku started, but shook his head slightly. Edward knew exactly what was bothering him, and it was currently dripping onto his boots.

"Let's take you to see Recovery Girl." He suggested. The golden-haired teen honestly didn't think that sounded like too much of a bad idea right then, but he frowned in spite of himself. 

"Alright." He relented with a shrug. Uraraka beamed, jumping up and down slightly as the small group began to walk back to the school. Edward was leaning against Izuku, but Izuku didn't say anything about it.

"Then we can get something to eat!! I'm starved!" She exclaimed, glancing at Iida; who was nodding along. Edward's stomach grumbled loudly as a response, and everyone laughed, including Edward.

If he was going to be stuck here, then why couldn't he enjoy himself a little? Research could wait to be started until tomorrow. The sun was starting to set behind the pines; casting a reddish glow on the group of students.

"Sounds damn good to me."

_Winner: Edward._

//||\\\

_The trees shook, grass and rocks flying through the air as the beast made its way through the forest. Tall pines littered needles on its emerald scales. It slithered through the wilderness like a snake, growling to itself and slaughtering every animal it came across just for the hell of it._

_It wasn't about to stoop to eating them._

_The serpentine creature's purple eyes narrowed against the hot breeze that blew through the branches._

_It had no idea when it was going to leave the forest of pine trees, but he knew that it would all be worth it once it found the two heads of gold._

_Two heads of gold that taunted it in its nightmares._

_Heads of gold that seemed to stare at it and laugh at it from the shadows like the pathetic humans they are._

_The beast will find them._

_It will._

_With nothing but envy and hatred driving it forwards._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a LOT of fun to write! It's been a long time since I've written any action/fights, so I do think it's pretty clunky and awkward. It's not the best, but I still enjoyed writing it, and I hope you liked it! Also, I hope my choice of the opponent was decent! It was also pretty fun seeing who Edward would fight after reading the comments. One comment in particular mentioned Momo, and I had to go with her.  
> Thank you!  
> (All of the comments from people here on Ao3 have been great to read, and I really appreciate all of the feedback!!)  
> (I drew some art recently for this fic as well. Just a not-so-great drawing Ed in his uniform, but I decided to have some fun with it! I had to draw it on my phone because of a lost tablet pen, but I think it's alright?  
> https://www.deviantart.com/wxllow/art/Edward-Elric-Hero-fied-Dreams-of-Hope-and-Home-857086971?ga_submit_new=10%3A1602040764&ga_type=edit&ga_changes=1) 
> 
> I do not own either FMA or BNHA, and all rights to the characters and universes go to their creators!


	12. There's Something Odd About Edward Elric

Edward was already mentally _exhausted._

It had been less than two days since he had started school, and he was done with everyone and everything. The recalcitrant alchemist was _not_ a student. Not in the traditional sit at a desk, do homework, go out with friends, sleep in a dorm, and listen to dumb teachers telling you what was the right way to write a report sense, anyway. He'd never been one and never cared to be one. Edward had always found teens his own age to be petty, irritating, and too focused on themselves to be anything but shit company and he'd always found teachers to be arrogant assholes. He knew an arrogant asshole when he saw one, and he had trouble listening to them. There were plenty higher up in Amestris's military, so by now, he could sniff them out like a dog.

_(You could argue he was one too but how about we just didn't think about that?)_

He was a slave to a military regime, but now he's a slave to the education system.

Edward was trapped in a building _full_ of these dumb teenagers for an indeterminate amount of time, and the thought made his head ache as he truly pondered the circumstances he was in. There were a few decent ones he'd met so far, like Momo, Izuku, Iida, Uraraka, and Bakugou seemed okay, surprisingly, but there also seemed to be a whole bunch of loud, rowdy, perverted assholes as well. After the examination, there was a certain group of boys seemingly led by the stupid-looking tiny kid who did nothing all evening but to try and get girls. It made Edward's eyes want to roll into the back of his skull and never come out, seeing people so worried about something so trivial with everything going on in his own head. The golden-haired alchemist had already resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to play a part if he was to stay here and research. A part of a relatively quiet, studious transfer kid from someplace called "America." Though the bullshit act had slowly been replaced by irritation and anger due to the monotony and sheer _easiness_ that were these high school classes throughout the day. 

He could act.

He could play.

He already had been pretending since he got here.

There were only a few issues that made things way harder than they should be.

Edward knows that he himself made the choice to stay here for an important reason, but he feels so _out of place._ He doesn't know how to initiate small talk or casual conversation (Momo had ultimately proved herself to be the only one he could confidently hold up a conversation with, even though he didn't talk to her much all day), and he can't talk to anyone about alchemy or the Gate without jeopardizing his own safety and position. With the exception of Momo, or maybe Izuku, Edward had found that he's smarter than nearly all of them - if he's going by what he's seen from his one day of spending time with them. It wasn't that they were dumb, but they were naive and idealistic - he's come to figure that out pretty quickly as well.

Idealism and naivete were a luxury Edward had to grow out of relatively quickly, and it was annoying to see it here in such dizzying quantities.

Al would be way better off here than Edward. He certainly had the social skills that his older brother lacked.

Nezu seemed okay, though it seemed he hadn't told the other staff about Edward's situation. For security reasons, probably, but Edward honestly still didn't fully trust a _stoat_ with human intelligence. Or authority figures in general. (Even though he did end up spilling his whole backstory to the guy anyway in a moment of sheer relief and desperation.) Even when they seemed to be acting out of kindness, they often had an agenda. The fact that he was given a part to play and was specifically told by the animal to _"not tell anyone for your own safety"_ after their meeting concluded sounded like a load of bull, but Edward did have to admit it made some sense. Nezu had said that villains were always recruiting. (Edward had replaced _"recruiting"_ with _"kidnapping,"_ due to the principal's hesitation and facial expression.) So he couldn't condemn the staff, and that also pissed him off. They were all such overwhelmingly _great_ people. _(He had yet to see any trace of Midnight.)_

_Ugh..._

Talking to sarcastic old lady Recovery Girl when he went up to her office was a nice breath of fresh air, he had to admit.

And now, as the sun set below the tips of the swaying pine trees, his head grew heavier and heavier; bogged down with the weight of a massive problem he had just remembered and had already encountered from a previous escapade through the gate. The toll. The price. What was he going to pay in exchange for his soul's safe passage back through the other side?

Certainly not humans. Not like the sick ways with which Danté and her Homunculi accessed the Gate. He never wanted to even think of using anything like the Philosopher's Stone again, but it was the only option he'd seen work, so he had to consider it and see if he could somehow safely replicate something like that, maybe.

He couldn't just offer himself either, as that would most likely disrupt the union between his mind, body, and soul if he did it again; which would literally obliterate him. 

And Edward definitely couldn't kill himself again. 

He blinked, paling a little and running a tired hand through his golden bangs, cursing his thoughts. Not _again._

_'Damn... that got morbid really fast. GREAT word choice there Ed.'_

Though it did make sense to have It as an option, as his other self from another world beyond the gate died and that's how he went back the first time, the thought still made him queasy with guilt and disgust. That first other-worldly experience was what so quickly made him aware he was in a different world in the first place, and that his circumstances were much more different than they had been then.

This was Edward's own body; not some kid's who happened to resemble him, after all.

Everything was stressing him out so quickly, and despite both evenings he's now spent in the dorms going through his notes after notes, he just couldn't come up with a single thing. 

_'Okay...'_

Edward took a breath. It was only his what... third day here now? If on his first day he saw where things left off back in Amestris, that must mean time passes the same way there. Of course he wouldn't find something groundbreaking after only a few days. 

That was what he kept telling himself, anyway.

Yesterday, while reading through a book he'd found, Edward had figured out that this world uses the old Christian calendar system. This particular discovery has been the only one he'd been satisfied with since even though Christianity in Amestris is an ancient and long-dead religion, he'd still studied their calendar. It's often very heavily referenced in old alchemical texts.

The golden-haired teen was currently sitting in the blissfully quiet 1-A dorm building at midnight on a couch; pocket notebook in hand and pen in the other. A book about people, biology, and anatomy open on his lap. The alchemist had been busying himself in the first quiet moment he could get for his research; reading up on people in this world and looking to see if there was anything biologically different than he was used to. He still hadn't forgotten the weird feeling his alchemy had taken on during the examination, as well as a relatively stupid incident with some chopsticks. If something was wrong with his alchemy, then he needed to find out sooner rather than later, and reading up on this was the best way to start. He had been able to find a book in the language called "German," which was almost exactly like what he read back home. For some reason, the Gate had not provided him with the ability to read the Japanese language even though he could speak it perfectly. Again, why the Gate was so confusing was beyond even his reasoning.

So he had decided to start with the very basics, not even worrying about alchemy yet.

Scribbly, scrawling notes, comparisons, equations, and messy diagrams were scratched all over the pages of the journal in chicken-scratch handwriting; coded so deeply not even his brother could read them if he tried. (and if he were here.) Pieces of paper he had angrily torn out and crumpled up were scattered at the base of the sofa and under the round wood coffee table.

The only different thing he could find was that it said people with quirks have an extra bone in their foot. 

Why? Edward had no fucking clue.

He was writing only by the pale white moonlight shining through the windows from the moon outside at this point; no sounds other than the scratch of the pen and the screeching chirps of crickets.

Well, the sound of the pen had been quieted for quite a while as Edward stopped working; letting his mind wander and reflect on all of these things. All of his thoughts, feelings, and over-all experiences of today and the day prior. It had to be at least one in the morning already, at least.

He was still dressed in his school uniform, boots, and gloves; though the blazer and tie lay beside the couch and his shirt was untucked. The alchemist wasn't sure if he wanted to risk changing just yet since all the boys shared a bathroom, so he had decided to just stay dressed for now. (Recovery Girl had had his actual clothes washed and given back to him, and he wanted nothing more than to wear them.) He rested his metal arm over his baggy, tired eyes, and his other was pressed on the book that was now lying face-down on his queasy stomach. (he had laid down a while ago, his feet kicked up on an armrest.) Not to mention Edward's flesh hand at the knuckles was scraped raw and bloody, staining the thin white fabric. His stomach had been uneasy throughout these couple of days, but he hadn't puked since the exam, which he took as a good thing. It was also one of the only things Edward was going through that he had a relatively decent grasp on and could kind of understand what happened.

Admittedly, his mind wasn't wandering at all. It was sprinting through a fucking marathon. And Edward just... let it, letting even more memories and thoughts from the past two days run like a river through the forest that was his mind. 

//||\\\

"You... were _hungry_... huh?" 

At those stammered words, Edward looked up from his plate at the brown-haired girl who spoke. His mouth jam-packed with rice and pork buns. She was looking at him with a mixture of awe at the sheer amount of food he was consuming, and disgust at the speed of which he was doing it. The alchemist hadn't eaten anything since his arrival and was tearing into his heap of food like a starving wolf. Iida looked absolutely appalled at his "table manners," his eyebrows knit in the start of a disapproving scowl. Izuku looked like he was trying not to laugh, his ever-present notebook open in front of his own tray of food as he tried to looks over his notes from the exam an hour ago.

These three students had walked back with him after the examination, asking him questions about his quirk. He didn't mind. It was nice to have a few people trust him so easily; not knowing anything about his job or status or condition. (Though their chatter was way more overwhelming than he liked.) Izuku had been the most... enthusiastic of the bunch, shooting question after question of limitations and fighting style, which Edward answered the best he could without giving too much away. The alchemist knew that Izuku probably realized the goo wasn't a drawback; unless he really didn't believe him when Edward had told him he hadn't gotten into a fight on the side of the road.

The rest of the table was deserted, the "Lunch Rush" cafeteria having been abandoned by most students as the sun set. The few students that were scattered about were from 1-A, buzzing with the excitement of the practical exam. The people who made the food had left when the 1-A students were fed, so they were pretty much alone for now. It was bright inside the building, but outside, the sun was setting and the sky was painted brilliant hues of orange, red, and yellow.

"Mmhm." was all Edward could manage as he filled his stomach. Eating didn't seem to trigger anything with the substance in his system, so he felt that he could finally regain whatever sustenance he had lost and lacked over the last two days. Iida huffed, taking Edward's lack of common courtesy at the table as a personal offense. The alchemist swallowed with a quick grin.

"I get food, I eat it. You never know when you'll have to miss a meal," he explained while simultaneously attempting to stuff an entire pork bun into his face. That was usually his excuse, and it wasn't untruthful. He often did have to miss meals during his and his brother's travels.

But Edward also just _really_ liked food.

Al had no idea how Edward was as fit as he was with the amount he eats whenever they get to sit down and help themselves. The younger brother would often have to apologize for the older brother's sake at restaurants and people's residences.

Edward had no clue either. It might be the fact that Izumi had drilled exercises into his mind to keep his body fit and healthy, so he probably just worked off the calories. Not to mention... ya' know. Being a soldier and all. 

Or maybe he's just got damn good genes.

Iida whacked a hand onto the table, exasperated. 

"Why would you have to miss a meal?" He fretted, causing Edward to nearly choke. Uraraka and Izuku exchanged a glance, the two of them turning to stare at him in question. Izuku looked more concerned than anything, though his eyes were narrowed in thought. The alchemist's mind was racing. 

Shit! He just fucking outed himself! Of _course_ students in the top class of a prestigious boarding school in the middle of a thriving city wouldn't even think about having to miss a meal. This whole cafeteria with the free food just proved that. He chewed slowly, buying himself some time before he had to answer. With a shrug, the alchemist just kind of evaded the question.

"You never know." Al would have given him a proper scolding for being so careless and responding with _that._

This caused Iida to frown in thought, clearly not satisfied but too polite to repeat the question. The table fell into an awkward silence, Edward not exactly jumping to start any more discussion. Uraraka, who reminded Edward so deeply of Winry that it hurt, rubbed the back of her head and turned to the green-haired boy sitting next to her.

"Hey, Deku? By any chance do you think you could show me the notes you were taking during the exam when we get back to the dorms? I only really paid attention to Momo and Edward's fight, and I saw you taking notes."

Izuku blinked for a second before giving the girl a nod. 

"S... sure! I can lend you the noteboo--" The freckled teen was cut off from his stammering reply by Edward, who had let out an audible groan and let his hand with the chopsticks slam onto the table.

"Okay okay wait, back up. I have two things." He started, his voice breathy with barely-restrained irritation. Izuku and Uraraka glanced at him.

"Yeah, Ed?" Izuku prompted, making Edward's mouth tilt down into a frown.

"I've just realized I was never told where I was going to sleep. I assume you don't just have a spare room just... _lying around,_ right?" He asked, arching an eyebrow. Izuku put a hand on his chin in thought, but it was Iida who answered, pushing up his glasses.

"No, we don't. You could share with someone, maybe." The indigo-haired boy suggested. Edward sighed quietly. He wouldn't complain, he wouldn't complain, he wouldn't complain. The alchemist had slept in military dorms, which he sometimes had to share with men 10+ years his senior. If he had to share a school dorm room with a teenager, then that would suck, but it wouldn't be worse than _that._

The only downside is that he wouldn't be able to study there. 

Or change clothes.

Maybe he could sleep outside?

That would be ideal.

Edward always had liked sleeping outside and admiring the natural world. It was always a comfort to him, knowing he was so small in the grand scheme of things, and that the Earth could just ignore him if he let it and keep going on without him. That he was a mere ant in the giant cycle of life. That no matter what kind of person you were, or what you've done, everyone ends up in the same place. Helping the cycle continue after your life ends.

One is all, all is one.

That concept, while it may seem... _existential_ to others, always put Edward at ease. Whenever the weight of his actions was overwhelming him on a particularly bad night, he would go and sleep outside; no matter where he and Al were. A lot of the time, Al would come and sit beside him, offering his silent comfort all night long. Al had been unable to sleep in his suit of armor body, so he could watch out for any dangers that lurked in the outdoors during the night while Edward slept through his guilt and nightmares. Edward had always assumed that Al knew exactly what went on in his head during those times, but he never asked.

Unfortunately, Edward knew that a school like this one would most definitely _not_ be letting their students roaming the grounds at night. Just one more thing he had lost when he passed through the Gate.

When Edward snapped back to the present, he was startled to find all three students staring at him in worry. He blinked to clear his head and cleared his throat. They had obviously told him something and he was just... off in his own world, staring into space.

"Did you say something?" He asked, scratching his forehead and, for what felt like the millionth time that day, feigning nonchalance. Iida huffed slightly, seemingly still not entirely convinced that Edward wasn't a delinquent _just_ yet.

"I said we can ask the rest of the class when we get there." He said in his ever-present (Edward had learned quickly) authoritative tone. The way he spoke reminded the alchemist of a mix of Mustang, Hawkeye, and (he gave a small, involuntary shudder) Izumi. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, well, only time would tell.

"Yeah, I'm sure we can find a space for you. We don't usually get transfer students, so it looks like the heroes aren't all too prepared." Izuku admitted, chuckling a little. Though Edward didn't miss the tiny spark of an emotion that looked oddly like suspicion glimmering in his green eyes. It seemed he really was smarter than Edward had given him credit for after all. Damn it.

Uraraka tilted her head, pushing her now-empty tray further onto the table. It seemed Izuku's emotion was noticed by his friends as well, and silent tension fell across the lunch table.

"Well... uh... what was the other thing you wanted to ask?" She asked brightly, combating the tension as they fell into silence again. Edward stared at her blankly for a moment before remembering what exactly he had wanted to ask them. The alchemist turned to look at Izuku, swallowing another mouthful of rice before speaking. 

"Right. I thought your name was Izuku...?" He questioned, taking another bite. Everyone else's trays were long-since empty. The freckled teen looked confused. 

"It... it is?" He responded, confusing Edward even more. Damn this world and their stupidly complicated names!!

"Oh but she called you 'Deku' just now."

"Ooooh" Izuku breathed in understanding. Uraraka was watching with knowing amusement glimmering in her eyes. Iida was merely nodding like he so badly wanted to interject and answer for Izuku but couldn't because of his politeness. The green-haired boy in question nodded. "That's a nickname that kind of stuck. It's also my chosen hero name." 

Edward nodded in quiet "understanding", (with HEAVY quotation marks) eating yet another pork bun before talking again. (Once again interrupting a conversation between Izuku and Uraraka, Iida also chiming in this time.) "Does it mean anything?" He asked curiously. His hero name certainly did, so he assumed that others' hero names did too. The whole hero thing was confusing in itself, even already having been explained, but he was willing to try and understand since he was going to be here for... presumably a while.

"It means 'useless person.'" Izuku responded with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head with a hand. Iida excused himself to put his tray up while Edward once again just stared at him blankly for a few seconds. Huh? Why in the WORLD would you name yourself something like that? The confusion must have been even more plainly exhibited on his face than it was in his mind, because Izuku and Uraraka both started laughing slightly. The freckled student shook his head good-naturedly, just confusing the alchemist so much more than he already was. Somehow.

"I didn't name myself 'useless person,' don't worry. I used to be called Deku a lot as a kid, and Uraraka here heard it on the first day of school and started to call me it like it was a good nickname. So I kept it." He explained, his cheeks flushing a light shade of pink as the brown-haired girl nudged his shoulder. Though it was kind of sweet, the gesture had to make Edward physically restrain himself from rolling his eyes.

"And the meaning has been completely flipped on its head, huh Iida?" Uraraka turned to ask the returning student as he sat back down. Edward didn't really understand. It seemed to be a mental thing. Maybe something having to do with mental strength. Iida nodded with a firm but sincere smile.

"It has. The word is usually quite distasteful, however, Midoriya does wear it proudly."

The sentiment was nice, Edward decided. He opened his mouth to say something, but that was the moment they finally got shooed from the cafeteria by a disgruntled, tired hero, Edward hurriedly shoving the rest of his food into a small bag.

During the walk to the dorm building from the cafeteria, the three eager students practically dragged Edward to as many places as they could go before curfew like there wasn't a physically draining exam just hours previously; pointing at places and naming them to him, only really sometimes providing descriptions. Edward himself, his right hand clutching his food and the other being gripped by Uraraka, was stunned. The campus spanned way farther than he had initially thought, and it was daunting. Entire fake ecosystems, gyms, forest clearings... Hell, there was an entire _fake city_ used for training quirks. It was excessive. It was huge. It was architecturally chaotic and beautiful all at once; especially to an alchemist. An alchemist from the past who had never seen buildings more complex than Central Command.

The night was cool and quiet, a lovely change from the heat Edward had been feeling since he arrived; for once no sweat running down his back. A slight breeze blew through the trees, creating a melodic, layered rustling noise that was incredibly intoxicating in the way only nature could be. While the talkative bunch ahead of him didn't seem to revel in it as much as he was, it made sense. Edward had come, during his journey with his brother, to LOVE nature in a way he never had before. He had learned to appreciate the little, tiny living things as much as he could; never wanting to take a life for granted ever again.

If you could bottle the sounds... no. The _rhythm_ of nature -Edward thought - it would be the best drink.

As the alchemist let himself be pulled this way and that, he listened intently to the words of his peers, the feel of the outdoors grounding him. When they stopped to explain the place called the "USJ" to him, he let his head tilt back slightly, drinking in the crisp, fresh air. At that moment, for the first time since the Gate spit him out, alive and talking with other teens and running around under the moon without worrying about a homunculus around the corner or performing as a soldier, he didn't feel as if he was completely wasting time. The feeling was there, but he ignored it. Might as well... get a handle on his surroundings, right?

Well, that feeling didn't last long.

Before Edward knew it, they had approached the big building of the 1-A Alliance, facing the large oak double doors. Loud, excited talking could be heard from the inside, and the alchemist knew he was probably going to have to sleep off a headache tonight. If he even ended up sleeping at all. Izuku glanced back at him and seemed to mistake his irritation for apprehension. He smiled at Edward, grabbing a door handle.

"Ready?" The teen asked, Uraraka giving Edward a thumbs-up, and Iida merely thoughtfully adjusting his glasses. 

"I don't have much a choice, huh?" He replied, stuffing his left hand into a pocket and the other still tightly gripped on the food, playing the question off as a sarcastic joke when he really meant it as a serious complaint. Thankfully, they didn't pick up on the undertone. Izuku merely nodded and opened the doors, the three leading Edward into the warm, homely building. 

He looked around for five seconds and was immediately _swamped_ with people. A crowd was smushed up in front of him; seemingly everyone in the damn class there and talking all at once. Lovely. He didn't even see what the room in front of him had looked like, there was such a build-up. At least they seemed... friendly?

_'This is going to be a long night...'_ Edward thought to himself, already tired, and he hadn't said a single word yet.

And now, somehow, not even five fucking minutes later, he was squished between earlobe girl and the tail guy on a couch, his food swiped and dropped off in the kitchen, and the rest of the students sitting around him in chairs and on the other couch. They were all talking amicably between each other, the conversation light, loud, and easygoing. From what he had heard from the conversation let him know they were talking about who he should room with. Nobody had directly addressed Edward yet, which was both exactly what he wanted and disconcerting at the same time. They were making a decision about him without even consulting him first. Was everyone in this world like that?? He couldn't stop an irritated twitch of his eyebrow, which would have given away his barely restrained annoyance and anger that he was feeling with this whole thing.

A snippet from Iida caught his ear, and honestly made him appreciate the guy even more than he already did.

"Maybe we should introduce ourselves and let him pick instead?" He had suggested, the only person standing up. Edward glanced at Izuku and Uraraka, who were nodding in agreement. Nobody seemed to notice besides Momo, who glanced at him and mimicked an apologetic sigh. The red-haired guy and a blonde with a black zig-zag in his hair had gotten into quite a loud argument over claiming him. Teenagers were so damn _stupid._ He wasn't an animal. Still, nobody had talked to him. Izuku seemed to notice Edward sitting relatively uncomfortably and gave him a glance that was both sympathetic and akin to a humorous _'you'll get used to it.'_

As he had proved at the table in the cafeteria with his several instances of making things just super tense and uncomfortable, Edward was fairly okay with not talking to anyone, especially as he was a person who very much so valued his personal space. However, he still did want to know where he was going to sleep, and this seemed like it was going to take a while. He was tired and his stomach was churning.

The only other person in the room -Edward noticed - who seemed to even remotely share his mindset was the blonde with the Ishvalan-like red eyes who had rolled those eyes during Edward's introduction earlier. He looked like an Amestrian-Ishavalan mix. The guy was sitting at the table near the kitchen, scowling and tapping his free hand on his knee in a snappy rhythm as he slurped up a cup of noodles. 

Edward watched him thoughtfully. He looked more like the three he'd been dragged around with all afternoon - more normal, and Edward liked that. He looked grumpy, and like he really didn't want to be there. The alchemist had to admit that his demeanor mimicked what he wished he could do right then; if he didn't have to act like a pleasant student to get on good terms with the others.

Though, the dude looked like way more comfortable company than whatever people-sandwich he himself was apart of, even if he wasn't pleasant personality-wise. After a moment of quiet thought, the small alchemist stood up unnoticed and slipped from the group, deciding they wouldn't miss him for a moment.

He made his way towards the table with the blonde, who had looked up from his noodles and down at Edward with an irritated frown. 

"The hell do you want, midget?" The student demanded, his expression full of contempt. Edward cocked an eyebrow. Despite the extremely rude introduction, the fact that this guy was the first to make a comment on Edward's height in two full days made him almost want to laugh. Almost. He calls Edward a midget when there's a student who looks to be no taller than a toddler sitting 30 feet away. A vein twitched his forehead as he shoved his hands into his pockets, a short rant going on inside his head when he usually would have leaped at the other's face at a moment's notice.

"The hell was that for, porcupine?" The alchemist mocked the other's low, rasping tone indignantly, deciding he could talk how he usually does with this guy since he attempted to insult him already. Plus, his spiky hair did quite resemble a porcupine, and now that he said that, Edward couldn't unsee it. The student looked mildly surprised, though it was masked by a quick scowl. 

"Who do you think you're talking to, transfer-bastard? Get out of my face."

_Oh,_ this was going to be one of _those_ interactions that often earned him a stern _"Brother!"_ and sometimes even a slap on the shoulder from a superior. While it was refreshing to go back and forth with someone like he did back at home, he was not expecting it to happen here at all, from what he'd seen. His quiet, friendly, awkward act quickly and quietly slipped away, unbeknownst to anyone else but these two. Edward had always been very well-known as a smart-mouthed kid with a stupidly short temper; often described by concerned mothers as having "anger issues." Maybe playing a part so opposite of himself would be harder than he thought...

"Who do you think YOU'RE talking to, sparky-bitch?" Edward fumed, remembering that this was the student who legitimately made things explode. The blonde snarled,

"You lookin' for an ass whooping or something?"

"Not personally. Though you look like you're in the market for one. Interested?"

The student stood up out of the chair, looking down on Edward; who had pulled his gloved hands from his pockets and was looking right back up at him in defiance. The porcupine's hands flexed and little sparks bounced from his palms in obvious anger. Edward's face split into a snarl that mimicked the other kid's expression as he clapped his hands together, the buzz of energy coming alive around his fingertips. Right now, he felt like he was finally himself; unlike how he'd been acting since yesterday. The two were in fighting stances, everyone at the other side of the room still completely oblivious to what was taking place.

"You wanna go shorty?" The student growled, his voice low and dangerous. It seemed like he expected Edward to back down. Sadly, he was not that kind of person. He'd fought adults and won before. He was NOT about to be scared away by a sixteen-year-old. Edward bent his knees as the student went on. "What was your name again? Eddie or some shit?"

Well, THAT pissed him off. Nobody called Edward "Eddie." The fuck?

"Well come and find out then, third-rate!!!" He exclaimed, raising his buzzing fists. 

It escalated quickly. In one moment, the two lunged towards each other, small explosions popping from the blonde's fist and a nearby pair of chopsticks swiped by the alchemist, immediately transmuted into a small, sharp wooden blade; a hint of a lurching sensation tugging worryingly at his stomach as he did so. Edward's free hand shot forwards, grabbing the other's shirt while the other stuck his hand down towards Edward's face, smoke billowing into his eyes. 

For what seemed like an eternity, the two students stared at each other in fury, their chests heaving as they had to physically restrain themselves from fighting in the dorm lobby. Somehow, miraculously, the other students were still locked in blissful, ignorant conversation. 

The two eventually reluctantly dropped their offenses, their eyes still locked. The gaze only broke when Edward looked down at the transmuted chopsticks, pressed his hands together, and fixed them back into their original form. His stomach swooped, and he could feel the trickling sensation of the goo running down his chin. Alarmed, Edward swiped a hand across his mouth, getting rid of the substance. He looked back up while playing it off like no big deal, even though his heart was beating at an increasingly rapid pace. The alchemist raised an eyebrow, making a mental note about the scary prospect of his alchemy actually having a side effect like that, and reminding himself to look into it. The other watched silently for a moment without comment, and huffed, looking away and sitting back down in front of his noodles.

"Tch. I guess you have more balls than I gave you credit for..." He muttered eventually, slurping up a mouthful of the food with the chopsticks that Edward had just tried to use as a weapon. He let his face melt into a small, one-sided grin as he plopped himself into another chair at the table.

"I would hope so." He attempted a joke, which just earned him an odd look from the spiky-haired boy. Edward tried to regain himself without his brother's help, which he never really had to do much before, and correct the other kid, "I'm Ed. Not 'Eddie,' by the way." 

The student glared at him for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "Bakugou." He said simply. Edward got up and grabbed some of the food he had taken from the cafeteria, went back to the table, and started to eat again with 'Bakugou.' He had to try and remember that.

"So during your exam earlier..." Edward started through a full mouth. Bakugou glanced at him from his bent-over position, his eyebrows raised in semi-annoyed question. Jeez, this kid was worse than Edward. And that was a feat. "It was fucking awesome, I have to admit. I've only ever seen one other person harness any explosive firepower like that before, and you could probably give him a run for his money." The alchemist made conversation, the thought of a teenager with explosive hands beating his _military superior_ in a fight made him smirk, and he made a mental note to ~~taunt~~ tell Mustang about this kid if-- no, WHEN he got back.

Despite his _valiant_ efforts at talking, Bakugou didn't respond; only grunting in acknowledgment. Though there was a ghost of a small smile on his face. The two sat in silence, eating and listening to the growing-in-volume discussion from the couches. 

Though while the two didn't say anything, it wasn't awkward. Edward pondered while he ate, just appreciating the quiet company. 

The third morning dawned _way_ too quickly for Edward's liking. The alchemist groaned slightly, blinking open his eyes and blearily peering out of the closest window. It was early, the sun barely shining over the tips of the trees. A little beam of light was shining in his eyes. The alchemist dragged a gloved hand over his face, rubbing the sleep away. He pushed himself up from where he was laying lengthwise on the couch, his tie untied and dangling around his neck and his shirt partially unbuttoned.

The night before, after he had got up from the table once he was done eating, Bakugou had got up as well, looked down at him with a frown, and called back over his shoulder as he went to his dorm room: "You can sleep on the couch. It's comfortable enough." he paused and added as an afterthought, "and it should fit a midget like you." Edward had simultaneously flipped him off and thanked him, walking begrudgingly back to the group, who apologized for not noticing his departure. He suggested the idea and they had all hung out a little more. There was a whole lot of asking him basic questions about himself, like his favorite color (Red) and his favorite food (His mom's beef stew). Also other questions, like how his quirk worked ("I deconstruct matter, and reconstruct it into something else. It follows the scientific law of equivalent exchange." He had explained very short and sweet.) and why his hero name was 'Fullmetal.' ("I thought it sounded badass.") The alchemist refused to make eye contact with the mutation quirks, like Frog-Girl, Tail-Guy, Hawk-dude, and Pink-Girl. Though everyone was, once again, overwhelmingly friendly, and even if he didn't have to lie about himself, he still probably would have been nice right back. Their energy was almost infectious.

Finally, at maybe two in the goddamn morning, they left to go to bed and he was left alone to attempt to go to sleep on the couch.

Despite the dream he had in the hospital bed when he was last unconscious, this night had passed without dreams. His mind had been blissfully empty. It was nice to finally get a full night's sleep, but there was a tiny little unignorable prick of disappointment that he felt when he woke up. Edward was almost hoping for another dream about Amestris. If even just a memory. Maybe a happy one. Like his twelfth birthday, which was celebrated by the Hughes family, Nina, and Al. Despite the tragedy that followed that day, it was still one of the happiest days of his life.

But not even his nightmares graced his sleeping presence.

Since it was early, Edward was able to go to the restroom to wash his face and tie back his hair without anyone up. Since he was actually expected to go to classes, he walked out of the building, taking a deep breath of the crisp morning air to clear his muddled head before the torture started.

"Hiiyah!!" A shout ripped through the quiet, causing Edward to jump in surprise. He whipped around as another "Hah!!" sounded. The alchemist followed the voice warily, eventually spotting what was making the sound. He was both relieved and surprised. It was Izuku, dressed in loose shorts and a cotton t-shirt, punching and kicking the air with his alchemy-looking quirk activated. A book was laying open in front of him on the dew-soaked grass. It looked exactly like how Edward exercised, except Edward usually had Al as a sparring partner to keep him on his toes. It was... kind of sad to see him sparring the air. Unless the air had wronged him in some way, which Edward doubted, it couldn't be very satisfying. After a moment's hesitation, the alchemist took off his blazer, slung it over his shoulder, and walked over to Izuku.

"Hey." He greeted simply. Izuku turned to look at him in surprise, then waved at him, powering down. 

"Hey, Ed... What's up?" The freckled teen responded with a sheepish smile, like he'd been caught doing something embarrassing. The alchemist tilted his head to the side.

"You want a sparring partner? Not with quirks or anything, but I haven't properly done my exercises in a few days, so I have to work my muscles. The exam didn't really do that much, considering it only took like, twenty minutes." Edward admitted, praying that if Izuku said yes, the sleeve of his shirt would dull the hardness of his automail. Izuku widened his eyes in surprise and put a thoughtful hand on his chin. Edward shifted slightly in the grass, thanking his thick-soled boots for not soaking in the water from the green blades. Finally, Izuku smiled slightly and gave him a slight nod.

"Sure...! I haven't properly sparred with anyone on my own before. Just during class." He explained, bending over to shut the book. The shorter grinned in spite of himself and dropped his blazer into the damp lawn, tightening his golden ponytail, untucking his button-down, and untying his choking dog collar of a tie. 

Maybe the dew would ruin it. 

He hoped so.

The two stood before each other, Edward already bent into a low fighting stance, sizing each other up with surveying eyes. His second "fight" in barely a day... 

_'Damn guess there's no taking it easy for me here, huh? Good.'_ he thought to himself as he gazed over at the other student.

Izuku was bigger than Edward; taller, and definitely heavier with the defined muscle that Edward could see. The alchemist's body was fit but he didn't have the same amount of muscle definition. Maybe his abs, but those only do good when you take a punch to the gut. He seemed sturdy, and the exercise and the exam showed that he knew how to fight. Though Edward knew probably better than anyone else that muscle did not automatically make you stronger in a fight.

Edward had concluded from what he'd witnessed that Izuku mainly uses fists as feints; preferring to use his stronger legs for a better impact. The legs were a danger zone that Edward had to avoid, as a fist-heavy fighter. Despite the muscled limbs, he also knew that Izuku was startlingly agile and quick; although Edward could still safely assume he had the upper hand in speed and strategy. 

The observant alchemist had also noticed a flaw with Izuku's fighting style. He appeared to try and predict the opponent's movements, thinking them out WHILE he was in the fight. While smart, it was impractical in the long run. Fighting against Edward, that strategy would become null and void pretty quickly, so it would be interesting to see how he copes with a wild card.

Though, Edward felt he himself had a trump card. His sheer amount of experience out on the battlefield. The same could be said probably fighting anyone else in the class. While he had never been sent into legitimate armed warfare as a State Alchemist, the teen had fought in countless street fights and battles. Not to even touch on the fact that he defeated completely immortal human-esque creatures who could heal all injury and kill with ease with nothing but his wits, his alchemy, and his automail. And a whole lot of luck. ~~And a LOT of outside help.~~

Despite knowing it was bad to be cocky during a spar, he let his face melt into an easy-going smirk, thinking he had this in the bag. No teenager was going to beat him in pure hand-to-hand combat this early in the morning. Except for Al. Edward had never beat Al.

Izuku worked out every morning and late in the evenings, honing his body and his strength for the energy and force his quirk required to be able to control at the rapidly increasing percentage of strength. One for All was dangerous if your body was equipped for it, so Izuku HAD to practice so much; just purely so he didn't obliterate his own skeleton trying to stop a villain. 

But somebody coming up to him and asking to spar was... new. And the transfer student found on the side of the road was the first one to do it. Not Uraraka, not Iida, hell, not even Bakugou. Edward. 

Quiet, cocky Edward.

Passed out half-dead on the side of the road Edward.

Mysterious mysterious Edward.

Something about the other teen seemed off in a way Izuku couldn't put his finger on. He was friendly, and pretty normal as far as people go, and Izuku liked him from the time he's spent with him over the last 12 hours or so, but some things didn't connect, and Izuku, despite being usually pretty kind and trusting, couldn't help but feel wary of him. The fact that he could possibly be a villain in disguise wouldn't leave his mind, despite his attempts to give Edward the benefit of the doubt. Not to mention from what Izuku had seen from the exam, Edward was a formidable fighter. But he also seemed to be hiding things, such as when Izuku and Mirio found him outside the convenience store vomiting up sludge. He had said he didn't get into a fight, but when he got to the class yesterday, he explained it was a drawback of his quirk, which didn't line up at all. As well as his story about why he wanted to get to U.A. he had told the students outside, which didn't mention being a transfer student at all. 

He'd been thinking about all of this non-stop since after the exam.

Izuku had already, like he did for everyone in his class and then some, started a detailed page in his notebook on Edward Elric. He documented traits others expressed, quirk details, fighting style, the way they handle situations, etc in that notebook. Others thought it was creepy, but the notebook had given him a leg up in many fights. There wasn't much there yet for Edward, but contrary to others' pages, Izuku had scribbled down speculations and things he said that didn't add up together as well. As a hero, he couldn't make any accusations when Edward hadn't done anything inherently wrong, but he didn't want to take the risk.

What if the golden-haired boy in front of him with his big smile tried to hurt his friends?

The freckled teen had already decided he wouldn't bring anything up unless something truly concerning came afloat though, which he hoped nothing would. 

Izuku shook his head to clear his rapidly running thoughts from his mind, which earned him a confused look from Edward. He had to focus on this little practice fight, as it would be a good learning experience as well as hopefully being some fun and clearing his mind of a few things.

He let his green gaze take in the boy across from him for a few seconds, realizing that he might be at a significant disadvantage since there were to be no quirks involved with the practice. It was early and he'd been up since three exercising, but he was still going to try his best. He didn't know Edward like he knew the other students of 1-A, so he was at a bit of a loss. The fight during the exam between Edward and Momo had lasted barely twenty minutes, and it was quick and concise. He definitely knew how to fight, and was slippery and wily like a raccoon, all the while hopping around like a monkey to end fights as fast as possible.

He was small and slight, which Izuku noticed he used to his advantage during the fight with Momo, whether intentional or not. He was clearly used to fighting people bigger than he was, and that was what worried Izuku. Not the fact that he could fight; all of them could. All of them had to be able to. No, it was the severe lack of information the observant hero student had on Edward.

With a determined sigh, Izuku shakily met Edward's grin, sinking into his own fighting stance.

All Might whistled a jaunty tune to himself as he walked through his morning route around the campus, reading a newspaper article from the city about the U.A. Cultural Festival performance from two weeks ago and enjoying the fresh air. The report was better late than never, he guessed.

The gaunt man fixed his tie on his pin-striped suit, narrowing his eyes as he peered up at the brightening sky. It looked like it was going to be another hot day, which was pretty disappointing, albeit expected with the weather they'd been experiencing here in Tokyo for a solid month now.

Another hour into the pro hero's daily exercise walk was when he heard a resounding _'CRASH!'_ followed by a mixed exclamation of triumph and jumbled apologies from the front of the 1-A Alliance dorm building. All Might, concerned, hurried around the corner to see what could've made that loud of a noise that early. 

What he saw did nothing short of surprise him. He halted a few yards away from the scene he'd heard. Edward was standing, aureate eyes bright and wild, his shirt soaked through with dew from the grass and his cheeks flushed with triumph in front of a defeated Izuku. All Might made to dash over to aid his ward, but he stopped again when he got a closer look. The green-haired boy in question was leaning against the brick wall he was presumably slammed against, rubbing his head and saying something to the long-haired teen with a small smile. Both sported various scuff marks, bruises, and scratches, but there didn't appear to be any animosity between them. Edward walked over and extended his left hand, which Izuku took so Edward could pull him to his feet. All Might could just barely see a shade of grey underneath his soaked right sleeve where it should be flesh-colored. Stains of what looked like dark rust and a greasy substance he couldn't place marked the sleeve around the shoulder.

Edward seemed to notice this too, because his face betrayed a reaction of alarm as he glanced down. Once Izuku was on his feet, Edward swiftly turned and tugged on his damp blazer, stuffing the tie into a pocket. All Might watched quietly from his place of observation around the corner, proud of Izuku for taking a loss so well. It appeared to have been a spar, which All Might thought would be a good thing for his student; actually fighting another living, breathing human as a constant practice. Due to the whole nature of the "battlefield", the hero could assume there were no quirks, and that it was just good-old-fashioned hand-to-hand. Izuku relied a lot on his quirk, so All Might thought that spars without quirks had merit as well, and he appreciated the odd new kid for not holding back. It was... surprising to see multiple displays of fighting proficiency so quickly from Edward though, and All Might wondered what type of hero he could become. It was almost impressive, seeing how many fewer bruises Edward seemed to have than Izuku. 

All Might spectated as more friendly words were exchanged, and Izuku turned to go back inside the building, Edward turning the opposite direction with an odd salute to his forehead before walking off in the pro hero's direction, which was towards the main building. As the transfer unknowingly passed All Might, a shiver ran down the pro hero's spine. A feeling that something was _wrong_ settled in the pit of his stomach, feeling like it was radiating out from the boy's body as All Might stared at his retreating back, ponytail swaying from side-to-side. Either that wasn't there before, or the young boy was too sickly in the nurse's office to display it. Something was off, and for the first time in a while, All Might felt wary.

The last thing he noticed before Edward went inside the main building was his face. Where moments previously there had been jubilation and triumph, now there were only deep lines and shadows of longing and sadness.

Throughout the school day, classes were normal. No Heroics classes today. Just core subjects followed by study periods. All Might stayed with 1-A, observing the classes and teaching some of them since Aizawa had a villain to take care of. He kept a keen eye on the transfer student, who looked, at all times that day, like he wanted to curl up and die of boredom, no matter the subject. The hero sympathized with him, but whenever he was teaching, he still had to remind Edward to at least pretend he was paying attention. 

"Young Edward, I understand Japaneseis boring, but it's incredibly important!"

"Foreign languages is fun!! Chin up young man!"

On and on he had to remind the boy, trying to keep his tone bright and grand despite feeling the off feeling he got from Edward whenever he walked over to the student's desk. The other students muttered and chuckled as, during Japanese, a class All Might noticed he was absolutely terrible at if going by his mess of writing, the pro hero had to actually wake the boy up when he had fallen asleep with his cheek pressed against the top of the desk. Izuku noticed Edward's horrible attention span and had taken to talking with him during taking notes, keeping him enraptured in the lesson All Might was sure he still didn't care about. Little doodles of somehow near-perfect circles and diagrams with nonsensical characters took up the borders of his pages, but if he wasn't asleep, then it was all right with All Might, who by hallway through the day had completely given up on the encouragement.

But then they got to math, and All Might learned something about the boy that added to his levels of strange ten-fold.

Edward Elric was a bonafide genius.

All Might had assigned a practice where he put the complex equations they were learning on the chalkboard, and he called up everyone to solve one. This class was going the same as all the others, with Edward not paying attention in the slightest, muttering nonsense under his breath about lunch. All Might called him up to solve the pretty tricky equation he had written on the board in Arabic numerals. 

"Alright, Young Edward, it's your turn!" He exclaimed, getting the boy's attention by waving a thin arm at the scribbled line of chalk. Edward stared at the board for a few moments before reluctantly getting up. His face twisted into a small frown as he stared at the equation. All Might glanced at him and added, "It's okay if you don't know to do th--" before getting cut off by a small sigh and a remark from the teen.

"Give me a harder one." He stated simply, turning to look at All Might with his hands in his pockets. Edward blinked to himself, hurriedly correcting himself with a sharp "please" as a cover-up for his demanding tone. 

"This is already a difficult problem, young man." All Might tried to dissuade the student from taking a harder problem so he didn't embarrass himself in front of the class, who had quieted down significantly once Edward spoke. The teen in question stared up at him blankly, then sighed slightly again, turning his gaze to rest on the chalkboard. He picked up the small stub of chalk in his left gloved hand, writing down his solution in less than a minute in messy handwriting. He slapped down the chalk onto the sill beneath the chalkboard, staring up at All Might with a look that said "there. I did it, old man." All Might himself scratched his head, glancing around the room. The general consensus was that everyone else was just as shocked as he was.

Good, so he wasn't missing anything here.

Teaching is hard, man.

The odd, uneasy feeling he felt from Edward before was magnified now that he was standing right beside him. It was like a dark tugging sensation from the student's very core. It was concerning, and All Might made a note to tell Recovery Girl about it, since it might have something to do with his "drawback" from the hospital wing. 

The pro hero nodded slowly and gave Edward a harder problem, giving him back the chalk. The student stared at the equation for a few seconds before quickly solving it, taking only a minute more at most. He looked over at All Might, his eyes brighter than the teacher had seen them all day. That was the look that made All Might love being a teacher, as well as a hero. The look that you're doing something good for the student and that they're engaged. It was something he had been wishing to see on Edward's face all day. And he wasn't going to let it go to waste, no matter how uneasy the kid makes him feel. 

This went on for another ten minutes. 

The time consisted of All Might giving Edward increasingly difficult questions, going WAY past the curriculum, and him solving each in less than maybe two minutes per question, max. The only reason the exchange ended was because of the bell ringing. Edward was grinning wildly by the time the class ended, his gloves dusted in thick layers of chalk. Comments and cheers had supported Edward throughout the class, getting louder and louder as people rooted for him. All Might set the chalk down and made to walk out of the class to grab a snack, catching snippets of conversation from the other students.

"Dude, who IS that guy?" Kaminari exclaimed, motioning back to Edward who was sitting on top of his desk and talking animatedly with Momo.

"I don't know, but holy crap I haven't even seen Izuku or Momo do math that quickly!" Kirishima responded, his eyes wide. Sero joined them at their desks, rubbing the back of his raven-haired head.

"I'm tempted to ask him about tutoring... Damn." He added, earning nods from the other two. Mina and Tsuyu were talking to each other at the other side of the room.

"Did you, _ribbit,_ see All Might's face?" The green-haired girl asked, Mina giggling behind pink hands. All Might sighed and walked out of the classroom then.

Then science hit. Science was definitely Edward's most knowledgeable subject. The entire class he was talking, taking notes, muttering under his breath, and not even asking questions, but _correcting_ All Might during his lesson on elements.

Like, he straight-up denied the teacher and explained to the class the ACTUAL properties of the element of Lithium; the talk going on for 20 damn minutes. On _one_ element. It was almost like he was better at All Might's job than All Might himself. 

He had the classes wide-eyed attention the entire time. Even BAKUGOU looked like he was interested.

By the end of the day, when the students were free and All Might was sitting in the staff room, he was frazzled and confused, running a thin hand through his jagged spikes of hair.

Who the hell _was_ Edward Elric??

//||\\\

And now, after hanging out with Izuku, Uraraka, and Iida after classes and a kept-quiet visit to Recovery Girl, as well as a practice battle that Bakugou invited him to with the other two dues: Kirishima and Kaminari, Edward was tired. (Though the fight was.. now matter how much he hated to admit it, a lot of fun. The others seemed almost scared of Bakugou, but Edward enjoyed his no-nonsense attitude and straight-forward way of fighting.) The German book had slipped off his stomach from his long-since sleeping form, the moonlight brushing against his forehead from the window, his mouth open, and a hand resting on his stomach just slightly underneath the untucked flaps of his shirt. It wasn't uncommon for Edward's thoughts to put him to sleep. His eyes had finally slid shut, sending him off into a deep sleep with only a remaining thought of having to clean up his notes before everyone woke up the next morning.

Classes could have been worse, but he definitely got a little too into it towards the end there... Nobody seemed to mind, which was fine.

As Edward slept, the quiet sounds of punching walls and shouts could be heard from outside the dorm building, a green-haired teenager practicing way later into the night than Edward ever could, wondering about Edward Elric almost as much as he wondered about himself.

//||\\\

_The emerald beast had finally found the end to the trees it thought it would never see the last off. The serpentine monster burst through the trees, sending a volley of pine needles scattering through the night sky. There were big buildings, the night tranquil and filled with the sounds of trees blowing in the warm breeze._

_The creature growled to itself as it surveyed its surroundings, hearing a howl-like noise and pounding footsteps heading in the direction of a big white building. The beast huffed. That meant humans were here._

_It had hit civilization at last._

_With a large fanged smirk, a crackling noise echoed through the quiet; embellished with white static-like sparkles. Out of the sparkles, where there had been a massive green serpent, there was now a skinny human with long, dark hair and a thin, devious face._

_Shouts and running hit his eardrums, full of anger and... oh... was that fear?_

_He loved fear._

_But not getting into a dirty fight so soon after taking his form._

_Without a moment's hesitation, the man turned and booked it. He ran from the buildings, reaching a main street that was surrounded by buildings. With a twisted grin, he ducked behind a building with a large awning and bright signs in the windows, his form changing to a very generic-looking blonde man before taking casually to the sidewalks._

_A chuckle sounded deep within his throat as he walked, stretching his arms with a content sigh. His thoughts were racing._

_"Watch out Edward Elric. Envy is coming to find you..." He muttered to himself delightedly, walking out into the night and leaving the humans by the buildings in chaos trying to find him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow okay, so I'm really sorry for the long wait on this chapter!! I was planning on getting this chapter out back on Halloween, but things didn't work out. Some stuff's happened over this past what, month now? It's been hard for me to stay motivated about a lot of things, but things have gotten better recently so I've been working on this chapter little bit by little bit over the last few days. It's not the best, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, and I've been loving having fun with this fic again. :) So take this WAY longer-than-usual chapter to hopefully sort of make up for lost time!! (This chapter imo is pretty messy, since I'm still working on POV structure, pacing, timelines, and over-all organization. Just what I'm not so good at. Oh god and DIALOGUE.)  
> After a bit of thinking on it, I've decided that I can tell you guys to expect a chapter every other Tuesday! I don't have anything to do on Tuesdays, so why not finalize edits and post a new chapter? It'll give me something to do throughout the weeks in between too.  
> If there are any errors, please let me know!! It's late and I might have missed some things during editing. qwq
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!! The support and the patience on this is still surprising me, and I love seeing what you guys have to say. The speculation has been fun to read as well. ^^  
> Stay safe out there y'all.
> 
> I DO NOT OWN EITHER FMA OR BNHA, AND ALL RIGHTS TO THE CHARACTERS AND UNIVERSES GO TO THEIR CREATORS


	13. Announcement(s) [NOT A CHAPTER!!]

Hey everybody!! 

So, this fic has been sitting on the back burner in my mind since I updated the last chapter right after a like, month-long break. I'm uh... I'm sorry about that lol. 

I started a new fic in the middle of this because I had a LOT of sudden inspiration and free time, and that fic has been taking up the forefront of my mind, leaving this one in the dust a little bit. (Joining a new fandom is a bitch sometimes, lmao)

The other fic is a pre-planned eight-chapter story that updates every other week. As of writing this: December 31st, there are only two chapters, but I've been working on making chapters way longer than I usually do, the chapter I'm currently working on, for example, is only a quarter of the way done and already at 11,000 words. I realized that shorter chapters updated at the same frequency aren't exactly as fulfilling for the readers that have stuck with Dreams. (Thank you so much, btw!! And any new readers, heyo!)

My writing, I like to think, has improved quite a bit since I first started Dreams of Hope and Home, and I'm pretty proud of how both chapters of Humanity have turned out as a result.

Then I uh... decided to reread this one all the way through to check for any old writing errors or clunky spots; maybe also some loose plot-threads or plot-holes. I didn't really find any of that, but some of my writing made me physically cringe. 

Like, yikes you can tell this was the first fic I ever decided to publish, lol. 

It's not terrible at all, and not too far off from how I write now, considering I only first published this in early August. (Published later on Ao3). But oh lord some of the writing and descriptions of things are a lot, especially character interaction and dialogue. Some of it's kinda clunky and slower-paced then I want it to be.

Also, I learned from writing Humanity that it makes things oh-so easier to tie things together when the narrative is properly outlined and planned. Which Dreams was not. I had a rough outline, but nothing too specific. Like, I had the destination in mind, but I didn't have a map to get there. I've scrapped like, three different drafts of Chapter 13 because I'm not sure how exactly to tie things together correctly.

So!!

I've decided to correctly give Dreams a set plan for its narrative and characters. I still have a lot of my original motivation and I want to see this concept to the end! It's been a lot of fun to write, and I've been really challenging myself with writing these stories, as well as writing being a great outlet for me emotionally.

(I uh... also don't exactly think the FMA fandom is going to let me go any time soon, lmao. I'm in way too deep to even _consider_ curbing my love for it at this point.) 

Doing this is going to take a bit, as I want to make this story as cohesive and enjoyable to read as I possibly can! So I've decided to stall any future updates for this fic until after Humanity is over. 

Over the course of the next few months, I'm going to start making little edits to my writing and connecting things a little more smoothly. Nothing that will change what has already been written plot-wise, so a reread will not be necessary, lol. That would be a little extreme.

This is more for any newer readers that happen to stumble across it. 

I also might combine a couple of chapters to improve cohesion a little, but the edits won't be until further down so I'm not too sure. 

That's... honestly it! I'm probably making a WAY bigger deal out of my anime fanfiction than I need to, and it's definitely not as bad as I'm making it out to be, but hey. Why settle when you can aim for the sky, am I right?? 

For anyone who's read the fic and stayed for this _melodramatic_ announcement, left comments or kudos, or even just dropped by to check it out, thank you so much!! (I'm literal ass at responding to comments, but do know that I've read and appreciated every single one!!) I hope the changes will be for the better and the rest of the story can play out as I originally imagined it!

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy what's to come!!

<3

wxllow_chan

(Happy New Year!!)

_(This announcement will be deleted once I write Chapter 13 so I can have accurate chapter counts on the fic, lol)_


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